The Pittsburgh Steelers have had a lot of question marks at the quarterback position throughout the 2023 NFL season. Second-year quarterback Kenny Pickett has had his ups and downs, and is trying to make a return from an ankle injury suffered against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 13. Since then both Mitch Trubisky and Mason Rudolph have started for Pittsburgh, and Rudolph will be the starter in Week 17 against the Seattle Seahawks. Due to the inconsistency at quarterback, the Steelers have emerged as a good fit for future free-agent quarterback Russell Wilson.
Matt Freed / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Steelers' TJ Watt meets with Russell Wilson before a game
Steelers Emerging As Good Fit For Russell Wilson
When Wilson's fallout with the Denver Broncos began earlier this week, the Steelers were initially listed as a quality option for the quarterback should he hit free agency in the 2024 offseason.
The move would probably make sense for the Steelers at the right price, but it is hard to imagine the organization giving up on their first-round pick from 2022 this early in his career especially when his tenure has been tainted by Matt Canada's horrific offense. Jeremy Fowler of ESPN discussed Wilson's fallout with the Broncos on Saturday, and how word around the league is growing that Pittsburgh would be a good fit.
"He's going to have a market. I've talked to teams who believe like Atlanta, Pittsburgh, New England, a lot of teams could use a good veteran who still has played relatively well this year."
It's basically confirmed that the Broncos will be cutting Wilson in 2024, which would leave them owing him a ton of guaranteed money. The upside for Denver is that they would get out of the rest of his massive contract, and it would allow them to introduce a new and young quarterback to their system. Wilson has played a lot better in 2023 than he did in 2022, and him getting benched was a surprise to many as the Broncos still have a shot to make the postseason.
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Steelers could go after Russell Wilson in the 2024 offseason
Wilson has played extremely well in 2023, and his play has the Broncos looking a lot better than they did in 2022. In 2023 Wilson has thrown for over 3,000 yards, 26 touchdowns and just eight interceptions. He has finished with a quarterback rating of over 100 in eight of Denver's 15 contests. He has also been able to use his legs effectively as he has ran in three touchdowns and rushed for over 300 yards.
The decision to bench Wilson seems to be a business decision by Denver, and they are no longer hiding their plans to move on from the veteran quarterback following the 2023 season. Wilson recently opened up about everything that has gone on with the Broncos and him during the 2023 season. He spoke about how the Broncos approached him and his agent in October about adjusting his contract, specifically his injury guarantee, and if Wilson and his agent didn't agree, he would be benched.
The Broncos went on a winning streak shortly after this, which may have delayed his benching. Following their Week 15 blowout loss to the Detroit Lions and then a loss to the New England Patriots in Week 16, the organization decided enough was enough and they pulled the trigger on benching him.
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Steelers' TJ Watt falls while chasing Russell Wilson
While Wilson would certainly be an upgrade to the Steelers quarterback room, the move doesn't necessarily make sense for Pittsburgh. Wilson is nearing the end of his career, and he definitely isn't the quarterback he used to be. It would be a very out of character move for the Steelers to go out and sign him instead of sticking with their young quarterback who hasn't gotten a shot with a real offense yet. The Steelers selected Pickett in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft, and it is likely they will give him at least one more year as the starter before they move on from him.
Should Wilson agree to sign on a cheap deal, the Steelers may decide to sign him. However, it's unlikely. The Steelers are looking for their quarterback of the future and Wilson is too close to the end of his career to be that.
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