The Denver Broncos decided to move on from Russell Wilson. Rookie first-round pick Bo Nix’s play justified their choice. That is true even though a historic dead salary cap limited their offseason flexibility.
Wilson helped get the Pittsburgh Steelers to the postseason. But his performance in the Wild Card round against the Baltimore Ravens was reminiscent of his Broncos tenure.
Wilson completed 69% of his passes for 270 yards and 2 touchdowns. He also took 4 sacks.
He signed a one-year, $1.2 million contract and is still being paid by the Broncos. Wilson hits free agency with similar uncertainty around his future as there was at the end of the 2023 season. But ESPN’s Dan Graziano expects the QB will land a new deal in Pittsburgh.
“The Steelers like Wilson, and they aren’t thrilled about the other options they’ll have on the offseason quarterback market,” Graziano wrote in an article updated on January 12. “If Wilson will take a deal similar to the three-year, $100 million deal Baker Mayfield got from the Buccaneers this past year, he could stick around for a while.”
Russell Wilson speaks to the media.
Wilson enjoyed a bounceback season that seemed to lock him in as QB1 in Pittsburgh early on.
He completed 63.7% of his passes for 2,482 yards, 16 touchdowns, and 5 interceptions in 11 games during the regular season. He posted the fifth-highest sack rate of his career, per Pro Football Reference.
His second-worst was in 2022 with the Broncos and his 2023 campaign ranks fourth. Still, he remains part of the “biggest offseason priority” for the Steelers in ESPN’s estimation.
ESPN’s Benjamin Solak’s “big prediction” is that the Steelers will, in fact, re-sign Wilson.
“The Steelers will re-sign Wilson, although not to a huge contract. There’s no reason to sign the 36-year-old to a four-year deal when he likely wouldn’t get any such deal on the open market,” Solak wrote in the article. “I’ll bet he makes it to free agency, tests the waters, finds tepid interest and returns to Pittsburgh on a three-year deal close to the value of Mayfield’s contract.”
Former Broncos QB Russell Wilson on Notice After Steelers Draft Prediction
GettyRussell Wilson #3 and Justin Fields #2 of the Pittsburgh Steelers warm up before a game against the Baltimore Ravens.
Wilson’s return is not a consensus. The Monday Morning Quarterback’s Albert Breer expressed his doubt that the nine-time Pro Bowler and ex-Broncos starter will return over backup Justin Fields.
Fields went 4-2 in his six starts before conceding the role back to Wilson.
“I’d be surprised. I think where they are right now, there’s a lot of frustration with the way Russ played towards the end of the year,” Breer said on the “What the Football” podcast on January 14. “I don’t feel like Russell Wilson will be back there next year. Maybe I’m wrong, but I don’t think that he’ll be back there next year.”
I don’t know what the Steelers intend to do at QB next season, but if they bring back Russell Wilson they’ll have to restructure the passing game.
This plays shows why. Wilson has never been great at going through progressions from the pocket. He tends to lock in on a primary…
Even if Wilson does return, the Steelers could have a quicker hook than they did this season with Fields behind him.
“I also predict Pittsburgh will draft a quarterback in the first three rounds in April,” Solak wrote.
Russell Wilson Turns Heads After Steelers Season Ends
GettyRussell Wilson #3 of the Pittsburgh Steelers in action against the Baltimore Ravens during the AFC Wild Card Playoff.
Wilson received criticism for his optimism even in the face of peril during his time with the Broncos and Seattle Seahawks. His latest display certainly raised eyebrows.
With the Steelers’ offseason getting underway following their loss to the Ravens, Wilson released a hype video of himself in the gym. Notably, he wore Steelers gear, potentially suggesting his desire to re-sign if nothing else.
That could complicate things with his offensive coordinator Arthur Smith.
“Despite Wilson and Smith spending countless hours together after the typical workday watching film and publicly joking about it, a team source recently said that Wilson and Smith did not have a very good working relationship but fought through their differences as best they could,” “Pat McAfee Show” Steelers correspondent Mark Kaboly reported on X on January 15.
“It’s unknown whether or not that relationship will weigh in on the decision moving forward from either side.”
“Smith is under contract for the next two years,” Kaboly said in the post. “It’s unlikely that he will get one of the head coaching jobs currently open thus ensuring him to return for his second year leading the offense.”
Wilson and Broncos head coach Sean Payton were infamously ill-fitting.
Seeing a similar situation play out on the field and with the coaching staff is further evidence that the Broncos made the right decision to move on from Wilson.
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Former Broncos QB Russell Wilson Gets Good News Amid Uncertain Future