One factor you may’t accuse the Pittsburgh Steelers of anymore is being conservative. Or of not doing the whole lot of their energy to place themselves ready to win championships.
That’s fairly clear after they courted and satisfied Russell Wilson to affix a workforce whose common supervisor, Omar Khan, stated lower than two weeks in the past that he had “full religion” in incumbent quarterback Kenny Pickett and needed to re-sign free-agent quarterback Mason Rudolph, who surprisingly led Pittsburgh on a late run to the playoffs in 2023.
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Bringing Wilson on board will not be conservative, even whether it is financially — the Broncos can pay slightly below $38 million of his $39 million assured wage. The transfer exhibits the Steelers will do something to win now, even when there may be solely an out of doors probability that the 35-year-old (who had a .386 win share over the previous three seasons) will ever return to his championship methods.
It doesn’t matter. Win now and fear about later another time. Wilson little doubt exhibits the Steelers are considering win-now on the subject of quarterback play.
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He was 11-19 in two seasons with the Broncos after spending a decade with Seattle. He bounced again from a depressing 2022 season to throw for 3,070 yards, 26 touchdowns and solely eight interceptions in 2023.
Wilson nonetheless misplaced his job after going 7-8 in coach Sean Payton’s first season. He led the Broncos to consecutive wins over Inexperienced Bay, Kansas Metropolis, Buffalo, Minnesota and Cleveland however misplaced three of his final 4 earlier than being benched.
Yr 13. Grateful. @Steelers pic.twitter.com/0U4Q2sRtXs
— Russell Wilson (@DangeRussWilson) March 11, 2024
However there are penalties to what positive seems to be like a low-risk, no-lose scenario for Pittsburgh.
By signing Wilson, the Steelers are beginning the method of discovering a franchise quarterback another time.
You don’t usher in a nine-time Professional Bowler, or higher but, a former Tremendous Bowl champ with an inexpensive price ticket to compete with a third-year quarterback who has thrown solely 13 touchdowns in 24 profession begins, as Pickett has.
The catch is that there’s no assure Wilson, who agreed to a one-year deal, shall be on the Steelers in 2025. Perhaps he’ll play so properly that he can make more cash in free company, or possibly he’ll fail miserably like he did two years in the past and the Steelers received’t need him again.
This screams of being a one-year experiment.
Even when Wilson does play properly, he’ll flip 36 in November. How a lot confidence do you may have in any quarterback not named Tom Brady, Peyton Manning or John Elway successful a Tremendous Bowl at that age?
And do you suppose the Steelers are really solely a quarterback away from a championship?
Now, that doesn’t imply that is the improper resolution. Given how Pickett has performed, his lack of improvement in his second season and the workforce’s apparent lack of religion in Rudolph, it is a no-brainer signing — a no brainer with penalties.
It’s all about what you worth.
Would you slightly have an opportunity to be extra aggressive with a Corridor of Fame-caliber quarterback on the again finish of his profession? Or give the twentieth decide within the 2022 draft — a man the Steelers spoke glowingly of for the higher a part of 18 months — another yr with a reliable coordinator and a brand new place coach?
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In the event you say attempt to win now and the hell with the results, the reply is Wilson.
In the event you say you aren’t taken with a turntable of potential quarterbacks of the longer term, the reply is Pickett, or whomever they could usher in or draft subsequent yr. The perfect-case situation is drafting a quarterback in 2025 and creating him, which might convey you to at the least 2027 earlier than you’d know when you have your quarterback of the longer term.
You’ll be able to cope with 2027 and even later if Wilson leads the Steelers to a championship. However, severely, what are the chances of that taking place?
They should be excessive.
Many issues should fall the Steelers’ manner — past Wilson enjoying properly — for them to win a Tremendous Bowl this season. Simply take a look at the AFC, with Josh Allen, Aaron Rodgers, Joe Burrow, Lamar Jackson, C.J. Stroud, Justin Herbert and, oh yeah, Patrick Mahomes to cope with.
Rudolph will probably signal elsewhere, and make no mistake about it, Pickett’s profession as a Pittsburgh Steeler is all however over. The Steelers should determine on Pickett’s fifth-year choice subsequent Could. I suppose a colossal Wilson failure coupled with a late-season Pickett push might change the teenager’s trajectory, however that’s asking loads.
Wilson’s signing was as a lot about his play because it was about his wage.
You don’t usually get a $40 million quarterback for $1.21 million, so it’s comprehensible why the Steelers performed coy about Wilson till the information of his impending launch turned official, and he was permitted to barter with different groups earlier than his launch.
Name it what it’s — a calculated gamble … a calculated gamble that alienated two quarterbacks within the course of.
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Shedding Pickett doesn’t seem like an enormous deal proper now, nevertheless it could possibly be.
He wasn’t given a lot of an opportunity throughout his rookie season, taking almost all third-team reps till proper earlier than the season. He was then thrown into the sport 14 quarters into his profession, with Matt Canada as his offensive coordinator and a directive from above to dumb down the offense. Pickett’s relative success in that atmosphere was a shock.
Final season was a complete catastrophe the day after the preseason ended, and you’ll’t assist however suppose that Canada had loads to do with that. If his offense wasn’t suited to a Corridor of Famer like Ben Roethlisberger, then how might Pickett succeed?
Pickett couldn’t, and he didn’t. I get it, I do.
However that was all supposed to alter this yr with Arthur Smith operating the offense and Tom Arth bringing the data he handed onto Herbert with the Chargers.
Now, that received’t occur. If you consider Pickett, there’ll at all times be a, “What if?”
What if the Steelers didn’t retain Canada after the 2022 season? What if Pickett received a 3rd yr to develop? These questions won’t ever be answered now.
All Wilson’s signing will do is guarantee a revolving door at quarterback, endlessly.
The one factor that may make this worthwhile is successful a Tremendous Bowl, as a result of when the Steelers determined to signal Wilson, they ensured they received’t have a secure quarterback place for years to return.
If you’re OK with these penalties then, Let’s Journey … or ought to I say #HereWeGo?
(Picture: Harry How / Getty Pictures)
