Free Agency unofficially kicked off on Sunday, with a flurry of signing being announced even before the league's 48-hour tampering window opened on Monday. One of those signings came from the AFC North division, where the Pittsburgh Steelers signed veteran quarterback Russell Wilson to a 1-year, $1.2 million deal that might as well say “Prove It” right on the check. For Wilson, it's the opportunity to play for a team that could realistically push for a postseason berth in 2024. And for the Steelers, it was a limited downside move that at best gives you a better chance to win now than starting Kenny Pickett would, and at worst puts you right back in the same position again next year, searching for your long-term answer at quarterback.
Pittsburgh was one of the teams that was long-rumored to have interest in Wilson, and when the time came, it was two pillars within the franchise who were the ones that pushed hardest to sign the 12-year veteran QB.
It makes sense that Cameron Heyward and Mike Tomlin would be pushing for Russell Wilson to come to Pittsburgh. Both Heyward and Tomlin have been in Pittsburgh for a long time, and it's been an even longer time — fifteen years, to be exact — since the Lombardi Trophy was brought back to the Steel City at season's end. No matter what you think about Russell Wilson in the present, you can't objectively look at the last two years and suggest that Kenny Pickett (or Mason Rudolph, for that matter) gives the Steelers a better chance to contend than Wilson does.
Heyward and the Steelers defense have done the heavy lifting for far too long, and even with Wilson in the picture, as Pelissero notes, this will be a Steelers offense that still runs the ball plenty. But with Wilson under center, maybe the Steelers offense is a little more stable than it has been in years past, and that stability could prove to be all the Steelers need.