Veteran QB Russell Wilson Signing With Browns Biggest Rival, Steelers
Lamar Jackson. Joe Burrow. Deshaun Watson. And now, Russell Wilson.
That's the quartet of quarterbacks that will make up the AFC North next season
Wilson, who hasn't even formally been released by Denver but was informed he will be at the start of the new league year, will be joining the the Browns biggest rival, Pittsburgh for the 2024 season. With the Broncos still owing the Super Bowl champion over $35.4 million this year, it's expected that he'll sign a team-friendly deal with Pittsburgh. The vet minimum for Wilson would be set at $1.21 million for next season.
Wilson comes to Pittsburgh after a bit of a bounce back season in Denver. The 35-year-old threw for just over 3,000 yards but tossed 26 touchdowns, while reducing his interceptions to just eight in 15 games. In a Week 12 matchup with the Browns, Wilson led the Broncos to a 29-12 victory while throwing for 134 yards and a touchdown, adding a second score on the ground as well. The helped Wilson improve to 3-0 all-time against Cleveland, with his first two wins coming during his 10 years in Seattle.
Ultimately, head coach Sean Payton benched Wilson for the final two games of the season due to the for-injury guaranteed money in his contract. In the event that the veteran signal caller would have been seriously hurt over the final two weeks of Denver's campaign it would have triggered a 2025 base salary figure of $37 million. That same portion of his contract was set to become guaranteed later next week on March 17 if he remained on the roster by then.
Instead, Denver will be parting ways with the 12-year veteran when the new league year begins at 4 p.m. on Wednesday and designating him as a post-June 1 cut in order to spread his massive $85 million dead cap hit over the next two seasons.
For Pittsburgh, the addition of Wilson to the quarterback room comes after head coach Mike Tomlin told reporters at his end of season press conference that they'd be looking to bring in competition at the position. At the time Tomlin also cemented 2022 first-round pick Kenny Pickett as the team's top signal caller despite the fact that veteran Mason Rudolph was tasked with leading them in their playoff loss to Buffalo.
As Rudolph will become a free agent this week, it's unclear what the acquisition of Wilson, even on a one-year deal, means for Pickett's future in Pittsburgh. For Wilson, joining the Steelers on a "prove it" deal while still cashing in with Denver allows him the opportunity to reestablish his value as he enters the later stages of his career.
