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Steelers' Russell Wilson Addresses Competition Against Kenny Pickett

Being the best player he could be remains the top priority for the Pittsburgh Steelers new quarterback.

PITTSBURGH -- Pittsburgh Steelers' new quarterback Russell Wilson officially signed with the team and, moments later, spoke with the media about why he chose the Steel City and where he sees this team going in 2024. 

Of course, the hottest topic of conversation was his upcoming competition with Kenny Pickett. The two will battle it out during training camp to decide the Week 1 starter, but when asked about competing with the third-year first-round pick, Wilson wasn't focused on what he'll have to do against Pickett. 

"I'm looking forward to just competing and being the best version of me every day," Wilson said. "That's the best part. That's what you bring to the table. Bring the leadership you bring the enthusiasm. You bring the edge, you know you don't fall off the edge, but you bring it and you bring the love for the game of the Passion process. And so that's what I'm looking forward to bring it and that's what I'm going to bring."

Wilson said the two quarterbacks spoke shortly after he decided to sign with the Steelers. 

"As soon as I made the decision to come here, and we got it done, I texted Kenny and got to talk to him a little bit and just tell him, 'Hey, every day we go out there, let's be the best version of ourselves and try to make this team better,'" Wilson said. "And so that was cool. I just texted him right right away. Being a quarterback in the National Football League, there's, there's there's 32 teams is 32 quarterbacks that can just start, but there's all these guys that get to do all the work together and all the journey it's a quarterback club, and I think that the best part about it is I've been fortunate to be a part of it for 13 years. And I want to continue that as long as I possibly can and take that into that competition with Kenny."

According to a team source, the Steelers discussed their plans at quarterback with Pickett prior to signing Wilson. The two will now battle it out during camp, with one hoping to regain traction in the NFL after two rough years in Denver, and the other looking to take a significant step forward in his third year. 

It's going to be a headline-filled summer for the Steelers, with everyone glued to the field watching Wilson and Pickett compete. But for the QBs themselves, they're only focused on being the best players they can be for the team. 

"I've never been a numbers guy, you know, what I care about No. 1 is wins. That's the first thing," Wilson said. "The second thing is, touchdowns do matter. It goes helps those wins. I'm used to being in the end zone, and we've got to make it a priority to get in there as much as we can."

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