One thing you can no longer accuse the Pittsburgh Steelers of is being conservative. Or not doing everything in their power to put themselves in position to win championships.
That much is clear after they courted and convinced Russell Wilson to join a team whose general manager Omar Khan said less than two weeks ago that he had “full faith” in incumbent quarterback Kenny Pickett and wanted to re-sign the free agent . Mason Rudolph, who surprisingly led Pittsburgh to a late run to the playoffs in 2023.
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Bringing Wilson on board isn’t conservative, even if it’s financial — the Broncos will pay just under $38 million of his $39 million guaranteed salary. The move shows the Steelers will do whatever it takes to win now, even if there’s only an outside chance the 35-year-old (who had a .386 winning percentage over the last three seasons) will ever return to the league.
Does not matter. Win now and worry about later some other time. Wilson undoubtedly shows that the Steelers are thinking win-now when it comes to quarterback play.
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He was 11-19 in two seasons with the Broncos after spending a decade in Seattle. He bounced back from a miserable 2022 season to throw for 3,070 yards, 26 touchdowns and just eight interceptions in 2023.
Wilson still lost his job after going 7-8 in head coach Sean Payton’s first season. He led the Broncos to back-to-back wins over Green Bay, Kansas City, Buffalo, Minnesota and Cleveland, but lost three of his last four before being benched.
Year 13. Grateful. @Steelers pic.twitter.com/0U4Q2sRtXs
— Russell Wilson (@DangeRussWilson) March 11, 2024
But there are consequences to what certainly looks like a low-stakes, no-lose situation for Pittsburgh.
By signing Wilson, the Steelers are starting the process of finding a franchise coach all over again.
You don’t bring in a nine-time Pro Bowler, or better yet, a former Super Bowl champion on the cheap to compete against a third-year quarterback who has thrown just 13 touchdowns in 24 career starts like Pickett did.
The problem is, there’s no guarantee that Wilson, who agreed to a one-year deal, will be with the Steelers in 2025. Maybe he’ll play so well that he can make more money in free agency, or maybe he’ll fail miserably like he did before in two years and the Steelers won’t want him back.
This screams that it’s a one-year experiment.
Even if Wilson plays well, he’ll be 36 in November. How much confidence do you have in any quarterback not named Tom Brady, Peyton Manning or John Elway winning a Super Bowl at this age?
And do you think the Steelers are really only a quarter away from a championship?
Now, that doesn’t mean this is the wrong decision. Given the way Pickett has played, his lack of development in his second season and the team’s apparent lack of faith in Rudolph, this is a no-brainer signing — a no-brainer with consequences.
It’s all about what you value.
Would you rather have the opportunity to be more competitive with a Hall of Fame quarterback at the end of his career? Or give the 2022 No. 20 pick — a guy the Steelers have been talking about enthusiastically for the better part of 18 months — another year with a capable coordinator and a new coach?
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If you say try to win now and to hell with the consequences, the answer is Wilson.
If you’re saying you’re not interested in a pickup of potential quarterbacks of the future, the answer is Pickett, or whoever they might bring in or draft next year. The best case scenario is to draft a quarterback in 2025 and develop him, which will get you to at least 2027 before you know if you have your quarterback of the future.
You can face 2027 or later if Wilson leads the Steelers to a championship. But seriously, what are the chances of that happening?
They must be extreme.
A lot of things have to go the way of the Steelers — beyond Wilson playing well — to win a Super Bowl this season. Just look at the AFC, with Josh Allen, Aaron Rodgers, Joe Burrow, Lamar Jackson, CJ Stroud, Justin Herbert and, oh yeah, Patrick Mahomes.
Rudolph will likely sign elsewhere and make no mistake, Pickett’s career as a Pittsburgh Steeler is over. The Steelers must decide on Pickett’s fifth pick next May. I suppose a colossal Wilson bust combined with a late-season Pickett push could change the youngster’s trajectory, but that’s asking a lot.
Wilson’s signing was as much about his game as his salary.
You don’t often get a $40 million quarterback for $1.21 million, so it’s understandable why the Steelers played coy with Wilson until word of his impending release became official and he was allowed to trade with other teams before the his release from prison.
Call it what it is – a calculated gamble … a calculated gamble that alienated two quarterbacks in the process.
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Losing Pickett doesn’t seem like a big deal right now, but it could be.
He wasn’t given much of a chance during his rookie season, getting almost all of the third-team reps until right before the season. Then he was thrown into the game 14 quarters into his career, with Matt Canada as his offensive coordinator and a directive from above to stifle the offense. Pickett’s relative success in this environment was a shock.
Last season was a total disaster the day after the preseason ended, and you can’t help but think Canada had a lot to do with that. If his offense wasn’t fit for a Hall of Famer like Ben Roethlisberger, then how could Pickett succeed?
Pickett could not, and did not. I get it, I get it.
But that should all change this year with Arthur Smith running the offense and Tom Arth bringing the knowledge he passed on to Herbert with the Chargers.
Now, that won’t happen. When you think of Pickett, there will always be a, “What if?”
What if the Steelers didn’t retain Canada after the 2022 season? What if Pickett had a third year to develop? These questions will never be answered now.
All Wilson’s signing will do is ensure a revolving door at quarterback with no end in sight.
The only thing that will make it worth it is winning a Super Bowl, because when the Steelers decided to sign Wilson, they ensured that they won’t have a stable quarterback position for years to come.
If you’re okay with those consequences, then, Let’s Ride… or should I say #HereWeGo?
(Photo: Harry How/Getty Images)
