Russell Wilson moved quickly to find a new team, and he intends to sign with the Pittsburgh Steelers when the NFL season kicks off later this week. Wilson is coming to the Steel City and is expected to take over as the starting quarterback for the Steelers after a relatively brief free agency tour.
You’ll probably hear statements from folks in the Steelers organization like “Kenny [Pickett] and Russell will compete for the starting job” or “We don’t know who will be the starter yet” until a starting quarterback is chosen. And it is simply GM/coach jargon. Nobody in the world, including Wilson, would sign a contract with a franchise knowing that he wouldn’t be a starter. To be honest, even though Russell Wilson isn’t his usual self, he still represents a significant improvement over Kenny Pickett.
The two sides should get along well with new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, who has a strong play-action and run game. Play-action may be constructed upon an offence that incorporates an effective run game, which is what Russell Wilson has usually always performed well in. I think we’ll see a lot of this in Pittsburgh, where the Steelers have as a viable deep-ball target. In 2023, Russell Wilson showed that he could still throw the deep ball, especially to Courtland Sutton.
Though I do believe that this improves the Pittsburgh Steelers as a football team, the Steelers will have to cope with Wilson’s full range of skills. He’ll garner a great deal of attention and “clout” on social media. He will be a spotlight-seeker who gives off the impression that he is more concerned with his brand than the squad.
On the field, he’ll be the guy who drives the team to victory in the fourth quarter one week and then throws three nasty interceptions the next. Russell Wilson is just that—this is who he is—and as he is a bit of a downturn, the bad news keeps coming. Still, this isn’t a bad signing for the Pittsburgh Steelers in the short run.
