Report: Russell Wilson to sign with Steelers
Former Denver Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson plans to sign with the Pittsburgh Steelers, sources told NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.
The 35-year-old will ink a one-year, $1.2-million deal, per Rapoport. The Broncos still owe Wilson nearly $38 million after terminating his contract.
Wilson joins former first-round pick Kenny Pickett on the Steelers' depth chart. Pickett lost his starting role last season and became the third option behind Mitch Trubisky and Mason Rudolph. Trubisky was released last month and Rudolph is a pending free agent.
Wilson visited Pittsburgh last Friday, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter, and met with head coach Mike Tomlin and offensive coordinator Arthur Smith. He also reportedly visited officials from the New York Giants.
Year 13. Grateful. @Steelers pic.twitter.com/0U4Q2sRtXs
— Russell Wilson (@DangeRussWilson) March 11, 2024
The nine-time Pro Bowler signed a five-year, $242.6-million contract with the Broncos following a massive trade that saw him leave the Seattle Seahawks in 2022. Wilson won Super Bowl XLVIII with the Seahawks in 2014 and went back to the championship the following year to cement his status as one of the NFL's top quarterbacks. But his playmaking abilities diminished in Denver, while the Seahawks went to the playoffs in their first season without him.
Wilson, the 2020 Walter Payton Man of the Year, passed for 3,070 yards, 26 touchdowns, and eight interceptions last season with a 66.4% completion rate. The Broncos sported a 7-8 mark with Wilson as their starter in 2023.
Despite some improvement playing under head coach Sean Payton in 2023, Wilson ultimately struggled and was benched for the final two games of the regular season. He said the club sidelined him because he refused to delay a contract trigger that guaranteed his 2025 salary of $37 million, but Payton insisted the benching was purely performance-related. Denver will now have to navigate $85 million in dead cap space stemming from his release.
Denver announced earlier this month it would part ways with Wilson ahead of a March 17 deadline that would've fully guaranteed his 2025 salary.