Positives, negatives of Steelers signing Russell Wilson

According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Gerry Dulac, the Steelers are interested in signing Russell Wilson and plan to meet with the Denver Broncos quarterback before free agency officially begins Wednesday. 

Denver has announced its intention to release Wilson next week, thus making him a free agent.

Here are the positives and negatives for Pittsburgh to weigh regarding Wilson, a 12-year veteran:

Positives

Low cost: The Steelers only have about $8 million in cap space, per Over The Cap, but Kenny Pickett is the only quarterback they have signed for 2024. (QB Mason Rudolph is a pending free agent.)

That's why signing Wilson, who is reportedly open to playing for the veteran minimum of $1.21 million, makes sense. The Broncos owe him $39 million, regardless, for the 2024 season, minus the salary he gets from a new team.

That's about as good a deal Pittsburgh will get for a veteran quarterback with Wilson's résumé this offseason.

Competition: If Pittsburgh believes Wilson has good football left in him, he could be the ideal competition for Pickett, the team's 2022 first-round pick. Steelers brass have said on multiple occasions that they plan to bring in competition for Pickett this offseason.

Pickett has underwhelmed since entering the league, throwing for 13 touchdowns and 13 interceptions in 25 games. A training camp battle with Wilson could be all the team needs to decide if Pickett is the franchise's future.

Prior connection: Wilson already has a connection with the Steelers. He and his wife, singer and songwriter Ciara, "are founding partners and equity owners in Evolution Advisers, a joint venture formed by Acrisure, the global insurance broker that owns the naming rights to the North Shore stadium," per Dulac.

Of course, that alone won't entice Wilson to move to the Steel City, but he and Ciara have endeavors outside of football that mustn't be overlooked.

Negatives

Is he done? The 35-year-old is a nine-time Pro Bowler and former Super Bowl champion, but his two-year tenure in Denver did not reflect that. Over the past two seasons, Wilson went 11-19 as a starter for the Broncos and was benched in Week 17 for Jarrett Stidham.

His stats, on the other hand, tell a different story. Wilson's first season in Denver was not pretty (16 touchdowns, 11 interceptions), but he seemed to find his footing again in 2023, throwing for 26 touchdowns and just eight interceptions. 

Divided locker room: Although a quarterback competition could shed light on the position, it can also be bad. Pittsburgh's locker room already seemed divided at the end of the season, when the team benched Pickett — recovering from an injury — for Rudolph in the final four games.

Adding Wilson to the mix could create even more division in the locker room. Rudolph, who has been in contract talks with the Steelers, probably would not return if they signed Wilson, which could cause even more frustration for the offense.

Open to QB battle? Another big question Wilson must answer is if he's willing to sign with a team without knowing he's the guy from day one. If Wilson is willing to play somewhere for just $1.21 million, he would likely want to be the starter so that he can prove to the rest of the NFL he can still play at a high level.

According to Dulac, "There is no indication Wilson would be brought in to be the starter," but those conversations will surely be had if the sides meet in the coming days.