• Great fit: Russell Wilson signing with the Pittsburgh Steelers almost makes too much sense, as both parties can benefit significantly from the partnership.
• Best Steelers QB since Ben Roethlisberger: Whether it was with Mason Rudolph, Kenny Pickett, or the broken-down last vestiges of Roethlisberger, Wilson likely represents the best quarterback he has had on the team since a younger version of Roethlisberger circa 2018.
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Sometimes a player-to-team fit just makes too much sense for both parties not to happen. This is the case with Russell Wilson signing with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
It felt similar to a season ago when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were likely the only team in the league that would give Baker Mayfield a starting job — or at least a very clear pathway to winning one — and in exchange they got a quarterback capable of a good year of play for $4 million in salary.
This year, Russell Wilson’s acrimonious Denver departure means that he can sign for the Steelers on the veteran minimum, counting toward Pittsburgh’s salary cap at less than a million dollars for the year.
When Wilson’s play was seen through the prism of the blockbuster trade the Denver Broncos made to acquire his services and the $240-plus million contract extension they signed him to, he was only ever going to be seen as a disappointment, but when that play comes at the veteran minimum price tag, the entire dynamic changes.
Mike Tomlin has never had a losing season as Steelers head coach, and he has made the playoffs in three of the last five seasons of post-peak Ben Roethlisberger quarterback uncertainty.
Whether it was with Mason Rudolph, Kenny Pickett, or the broken-down last vestiges of Roethlisberger, Tomlin has won games. Wilson likely represents the best quarterback he has had on the team since a younger version of Roethlisberger circa 2018.
In abstract terms, Wilson joining the team would be an upgrade for arguably every version of the Steelers over the last five years, but when you factor in the contract, few teams in football are going to receive the kind of value surplus that the Steelers are in 2024.
That will allow them to deploy that cap saving elsewhere — to build around Wilson and help the team overall. It’s impossible to know what was discussed during Wilson’s meeting with the team, but he likely asked them exactly what they intended to do with that cap saving he was going to bring them and presumably received favorable answers.
Superficially, it’s a solid partnership — a good-not-great team adds a good-not-great quarterback as their new starter. Nonetheless, it’s also a potentially excellent schematic fit.
Pittsburgh brought over Arthur Smith as its new offensive coordinator, and while Smith’s reputation is affected by the recency bias of his struggles in Atlanta, he also helped Ryan Tannehill to his best years in Tennessee.
Over the last two seasons, Smith’s Atlanta Falcons led the league in play-action percentage by a significant margin while Denver ranked 24th.
Wilson’s numbers using play-action over his career are spectacular.
He has 112 touchdowns to 28 interceptions, averages 8.6 yards per attempt, has a 77.6% adjusted completion rate and a 108.0 passer rating.
In the dying embers of his Seattle Seahawks career as well as his time in Denver, Wilson has shown himself to be a quarterback who has limitations, but one who can still function at a high level in the right system. Pittsburgh’s offense under Smith could potentially be the best environment for Wilson that currently exists in the changing NFL landscape.
In terms of personnel, the Steelers have the talent to make this offense work. Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren are capable backs who can combine to shoulder the workload of one of the most run-heavy systems in the game. Pat Freiermuth, Connor Heyward and Darnell Washington represent a deep and talented group of tight ends — another must for this offense.
At receiver, George Pickens is a contested-catch specialist who does his best work deep down the field, where Wilson is also at his best. Diontae Johnson may be moved out, but Calvin Austin adds a playmaking threat and this is a great receiver draft to continue to add weaponry.
The offensive line is already solid, improving and still has an offseason to add upgrades through free agency and the draft.
Obviously, everybody wants to find their version of Patrick Mahomes, and Wilson isn’t that.
However, the Steelers don’t have an obvious pathway to that player, so they needed to get creative to find another solution. Picking No. 20 overall in the draft, the Steelers would have needed a massive trade haul to get near the top quarterbacks — likely to be selected with the first three picks of the draft — or hope that QB4 is the one that becomes special from this class.
Kirk Cousins represents the only high-level starter about to hit the open market, and even Cousins’ career has been characterized by what holds him back from being one of the very best in the game — what separates him from the likes of Mahomes.
Pittsburgh determined — correctly in my eyes — that with all avenues to an elite starter closed off to them, the best they could achieve this offseason was finding a merely solid starter for as little money as possible and trying to construct a team around that player that can beat a side quarterbacked by a better player.
It’s difficult to fault their logic, and for that reason, Wilson to Pittsburgh is the kind of deal that can make sense for everybody involved.
