The Steelers’ flirtation with Russell Wilson doesn’t have as much to do with a lack of faith in Kenny Pickett as it does with something team president Art Rooney II said after the 2023 season.
After failing to win a playoff game for the seventh year in a row, a franchise record since 1970, Rooney indicated patience is running thin and said “it’s time to get some wins” to get the Steelers back in position to make a postseason run.
For right now, they apparently think a player such as Wilson, a former Super Bowl-winning quarterback in Seattle, can make that happen more immediately than what they have at the moment.
Make no mistake, their urgency is more than palpable.
The Steelers were scheduled to meet Friday with the former Denver Broncos quarterback with the intention of possibly signing him in free agency — a move that would present many questions at the position but also generate a large measure of intrigue and an equal amount of excitement.
If it happens, it would be the biggest free agent move in team history, given Wilson’s resume and stature as a future Hall of Fame candidate.
Several variables, though, exist before a deal can materialize, although money should not be one of them — not with the guaranteed money Wilson will continue to receive from the Broncos in 2024.
Nonetheless, consider how it would greatly alter the landscape of the quarterback position, not just now, but later.
To borrow a phrase from former GM Tom Donahoe, the Steelers wouldn’t be bringing in Wilson to lead the band at halftime. Sure, they might stick with the accepted narrative Pickett is QB1 heading to training camp. But Wilson wouldn’t agree to come here if, at the very least, he wasn’t given the promise to compete for the starting position.
How will that affect Pickett?
At first glance, it would appear to chip at his confidence and cause him to question the faith Rooney, Mike Tomlin and Omar Khan have in him. If he were already annoyed when he didn’t get his starting spot back toward the end of the 2023 season, due to the offensive resurgence under Mason Rudolph, how is he going to react to the arrival of a nine-time Pro Bowl quarterback who has won a Super Bowl?
That, though, is what the Steelers will discover in their on-going process of evaluating Pickett. Is he a flower who will wilt under the perceived slight and pressure? Or will he stand up and fight for what he thinks is his? His response could determine his future going forward.
And what to make of Rudolph?
He was willing to re-sign with the Steelers even if Pickett was the starter heading to camp, so long as he was given the chance at Latrobe to compete for the position. But if the Steelers and Wilson reach an agreement, Rudolph is likely to look elsewhere in free agency, knowing that Wilson would be next in line to replace Pickett.
Of course, a lot of this is contingent on what Wilson wants — and it has little to do with money. At 35, he wants to go to a playoff-caliber team, but he also wants to be a starter. Would it be enough for him to accept a promise of getting to compete for the position with the Steelers?
There is no guarantee a deal can be reached with the former Seahawks and Broncos quarterback. And it is highly unlikely the Steelers would offer anything more than a two-year deal to do so. A one-year deal for the veteran minimum is a good possibility because the Broncos already owe Wilson $40 million for the 2024.
From a financial perspective, it would keep the Steelers quarterback room as the most cap-friendly in the league. More important, it would give them the ability to perhaps make a bigger splash in free agency, particularly with the significant increase in this year’s salary cap. And especially if they are feeling a sense of urgency.
Either way, the idea of an agreement is more intriguing than the final episode of “Suits.”
Gerry Dulac: gdulac@post-gazette.com and @gerrydulac on X
First Published: March 8, 2024, 4:30 p.m.
Updated: March 9, 2024, 3:00 a.m.
