Russell Wilson May Not Be the Steelers' Answer, but No-Risk Signing Still Brilliant

The Pittsburgh Steelers are set to add quarterback Russell Wilson after his release from the Denver Broncos becomes official at the start of the new league year on Wednesday.

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, Wilson has agreed to join Pittsburgh at the veteran minimum, $1.2 million. He can afford to do so because the Broncos will be paying Wilson $37.8 million to play elsewhere this year.

For many Steelers fans, the Wilson news may have come as a bit of a surprise. Not too long ago, the buzz suggested that Pittsburgh was still very committed to 2022 first-round pick Kenny Pickett.

"The sentiment among many here in Indy—including some with the team—was that Pickett could get another chance after a disastrous 2023 season due in part to the offense's overall struggles under then-OC Matt Canada," ESPN's Jeremy Fowler wrote after the scouting combine. "Smith should help maximize Pickett's skill set."

However, Wilson's price point was simply too good for Pittsburgh to pass, and it makes adding him a brilliant move, even if the 35-year-old isn't the answer at quarterback.

Could Wilson supplant Pickett and lead the Steelers deep into the postseason? Absolutely. His numbers, after all, weren't that bad in 2023. Wilson threw 26 touchdowns and eight interceptions while posting a solid 98.0 passer rating.

Sure, he never seemed to fit with head coach Sean Payton—and there will be questions about Wilson's personality fit in Pittsburgh—but the Steelers would have loved that level of quarterback play this past season.

However, Wilson isn't guaranteed to be the answer because the Steelers have reportedly not guaranteed him the starting job.

"He hasn't been given any assurances of anything," Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer told The Dan Patrick Show on Monday (beginning at the one-minute mark).

There's still a chance that Pickett retains the starting job via a camp competition or that neither quarterback succeeds and the Steelers are back in the QB market in 2025.

The brilliance of adding Wilson is that it should help yield some clarity at the quarterback position without costing draft picks or a substantial amount of cap space. General manager Omar Khan didn't chase Justin Fields on the trade market or overpay for a bridge quarterback like Gardner Minshew.

Minshew, by the way, agreed to a two-year, $25 million deal with the Las Vegas Raiders on Monday, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero.

If Wilson is a disaster in Pittsburgh, he can hold the clipboard or be released, and the Steelers will only be out the cost of a third-string quarterback. If he regains the Pro Bowl form he showed with the Seattle Seahawks, the Steelers could be legitimate title contenders.

In between the extremes is a middle ground that would still benefit Pittsburgh. If Wilson is the sort of below-average starter he was under Nathaniel Hackett in 2022 but Pickett cannot wrest the starting gig away from him, then the Steelers should know, with certainty, that it's time to end the Pickett experiment.

Having Wilson in the fold also gives Pittsburgh the flexibility of targeting a quarterback in April's draft without and need to force the pick.

If Khan, Mike Tomlin and the rest of the Steelers brass fall in love with a prospect like Oregon's Bo Nix or Washington's Michael Penix Jr. and that prospect is available within range of the 20th pick, they can flip the switch. There should be no panic-picking of a quarterback this year.

Again, Wilson isn't the answer, at least not yet. However, he can help the Steelers find answers, and he can do it at a bargain-basement price. For that reason alone, the Steelers have already made one of the smartest moves of the early 2024 offseason.