Steelers Projected To Spend $90 Million On Former All-Pro QB
The Pittsburgh Steelers could spend a whole lot of money on Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson next season.
Over the past couple of weeks, the Steelers’ QB situation has developed into one of the NFL’s most interesting stories.
After months of disappointing play at the position, Mason Rudolph got a chance to start for the first time since the middle of the 2021 season. He has made the most of the opportunity.
He has led the Steelers to two consecutive wins, keeping their playoff hopes alive and earning himself the chance to continue to start despite the return of Kenny Pickett.
While Rudolph will start for the team in Week 18 and likely into the playoffs if the team makes it there, the position still remains a major question mark for the 2024 season.
There has been plenty of speculation recently about the Steelers making a move at the position in the offseason to bring some stability to the offense.
CBS Sports’ Cody Benjamin not only believes that the Steelers will make a move for a QB, but that they’ll throw a lot of money around to do it.
In a January 4th article, he projected the Steelers to give Wilson a three year, $90 million deal if he is released by Denver.
Disappointment In Denver
When the Broncos traded for Russell Wilson, they did so in the hopes that he would turn them back into a contender after years of brutal quarterback play and they paid accordingly.
The Broncos gave up a pair of first rounders, two second rounders, a fifth rounder, and multiple players to get Wilson from the Seahawks and then gave him an extension worth $245 million over 5 years.
Results haven’t followed. The Broncos were awful last year, winning just five games. However, Wilson managed to avoid much of the blame for it as the team fired Nathaniel Hackett in the middle of his first season as the team’s head coach.
This season, the results have improved. The Broncos have won eight games and were actually in the playoff hunt until a couple of weeks ago.
His numbers also improved, but not nearly enough to warrant the massive investment Denver made in him.
Now he has been benched by the organization and is expected to be let go in the offseason.
Russell Wilson Could Still Be Worth The Risk For Steelers
While the results in Denver haven’t been what the Broncos had been hoping for, he could actually be a good fit for the Steelers.
When Wilson was Seattle, everybody wanted the Seahawks to “let Russ cook”. That didn’t really happen in Seattle, but he was pretty successful when they weren’t letting him cook.
The Steelers don’t need a QB that’s going to cook. The team has been able to put together winning seasons the last two years with QBs that could barely make toast.
What they need somebody who is a net positive at the position and can manage the game.
Wilson can still be that guy at this point in his career.
This season, he threw for 3070 yards and 26 TDs in 15 games while also completing 66.4 % of his passes.
Those numbers would be a pretty solid improvement over Pickett and Wilson has done it with a worse supporting cast.
Diontae Johnson, George Pickens, and Pat Freiermuth are more dependable options than the targets Wilson has with the Broncos.
The Steelers have allowed 14 less sacks this season than the Broncos. The Steelers more reliably lean on their run game than the Broncos have.
The Steelers have also been better defensively.
In Pittsburgh, Wilson could end up having a similar role to the one he played with the Seahawks when they were at their best.
Some Steelers fans might not like the idea of signing Wilson because of the way things have played out in Denver and there are certainly risks involved.
However, signing Wilson could be a move that pays off in Pittsburgh, especially if they could actually get the deal down to two years.
