Per Schefter: Russell Wilson is a Steeler, signs one-year deal

[jmacinwbp]

I started watching Denver all-22 on Sunday, focusing on the O snaps. The team was hot trash for the first six weeks, so
began with week 6, wanted to see how Wilson looked against KC in both games. Still have a few more games to go to get the rest of Wilson's games, but thusfar these are my takes:

(note, I define elite as top 5)
- Dude isn't anywhere near washed
- Still has elite legs,
- Still has elite pocket presence
- Top 10 level progression reading
-Top 15 arm strength
- excellent red zone play, at least top 10
- average to slightly above average accuracy. His accuracy on the move is what drags down his overall accuracy; he looked fine accuracy wise in the pocket.


I don't get the whining, but then again I never understood the hate for Pickett either. For me this is a great move for mostly the same reasons as others have already said, but primarily because it immediately improves the team's changes of competing in the AFC during the playoffs.

I said last year was Tomlin's final chance to win a playoff game, or it was time for him to move on, with signing RWilson, he wins one more year for me to see what he can do with proven competent QB play, and a star filled defense. Wilson is the perfect QB for a Tomlin offense, more so than Pickett or even Ben in his last few years.

Let's see if Khan and weidle are able to get a few nice FAs, and have another strong draft like last year, if they do, then watch out baby.

[Stosh-67]

I like the move. Wilson is signing a one year deal for the veteran minimum. We aren’t giving up any draft capital. Wilson also had more TD passes last year than the entire Steelers QBs in the last two years combined.

Wilson may not be the player he was before, but neither was Ben in ‘20 or ‘21, and he was light years better than anyone we have had since then.

Our team has had talent infused into it since Omar became GM. He doesn’t fuck around. We could actually be a force with another good draft and free agent class.

Let’s go into free agency getting a center, ILB (Patrick Queen?), and a SS.

Nice post.
I think the C may come in 2nd round

[DP39]

I have zero problem with this move and mostly expected it to happen. As long as he "fits in" I welcome it.

As I said when the rumor first started last week..."It's a no-brainer!"

Wilson played pretty well last year -- I watched most of his games. He was certainly better than anything we had (even if MR looked good in his 3 wins) at QB. He had a very good mid-to-long sideline ball connection with his favorite WR, Courtland Sutton. Something I bet he could duplicate really well with Pickens (and maybe Austin III or talented drafted WR).

From a roster (2QB need) and cap (~$1.5M) perspective, signing Wilson is as close to a no-brainer as it gets. Getting a player of Wilson's caliber (even if you're getting his "far from best" years) for league minimum just doesn't happen at QB.

Now, from a "how does he fit in the QB room and team overall" perspective, that's where the rub is. That big question is one his wife, Ciara, asked with one of her older songs...."Fit in, Get in"?

Can Russ "Fit in" to "Get in" with the Steelers? While I have some doubts, I certainly wouldn't pass up the opportunity to find out!

It would also keep him off any AFCN (or just AFC) roster, ta boot! Yes, please!

[franco32]

I just don't see a lot of downside to this signing. I don't like his diva personality and weird character either, BUT

1. It's cheap as hell and guarantees we will be drafting QB in a yr.
2. It could improve the team.
3. Worst case he implodes and becomes a major team cancer. But, that could actually improve our draft status next yr.
4. An implosion could finally lead to Art Rooney making a move on Mikey T.

Objectively, his arm isn't quite what it used to be and he still has a tendency to be a first read guy from what I've seen. But, he does fit play action Arthur Smith ball quite well, and that could translate very well in the red zone.

[DP39]

I started watching Denver all-22 on Sunday, focusing on the O snaps. The team was hot trash for the first six weeks, so
began with week 6, wanted to see how Wilson looked against KC in both games. Still have a few more games to go to get the rest of Wilson's games, but thusfar these are my takes:

(note, I define elite as top 5)
- Dude isn't anywhere near washed
- Still has elite legs,
- Still has elite pocket presence
- Top 10 level progression reading
-Top 15 arm strength
- excellent red zone play, at least top 10
- average to slightly above average accuracy. His accuracy on the move is what drags down his overall accuracy; he looked fine accuracy wise in the pocket.


I don't get the whining, but then again I never understood the hate for Pickett either. For me this is a great move for mostly the same reasons as others have already said, but primarily because it immediately improves the team's changes of competing in the AFC during the playoffs.

I said last year was Tomlin's final chance to win a playoff game, or it was time for him to move on, with signing RWilson, he wins one more year for me to see what he can do with proven competent QB play, and a star filled defense. Wilson is the perfect QB for a Tomlin offense, more so than Pickett or even Ben in his last few years.

Let's see if Khan and weidle are able to get a few nice FAs, and have another strong draft like last year, if they do, then watch out baby.

Jmac, thanks for doing the work -- which confirms what I stated that I saw, too.

I'm glad someone else took the time to actually watch Wilson's play last year. You're right, they/he were trash the first part of the year, but then Wilson played above average until he was intentionally benched for the last three games (strictly for contract G$ reasons). He is better than anything else we had/have in our QB room since Ben -- that I'm sure of.

Again, getting him for the price of $1.2M is what made this "a no-brainer" in my book! A QB opportunity like this just doesn't came around very often, if ever.

[Steel Bingo]

Kenny Pickett has hardly been a bust. He's helped the Steelers win a lot of games since Big Ben retired.

Sorry Bingo, you've got to rip that bandaid off and accept the truth.

When your first round QB gets benched for Mason Rudolph, and then after his second season his replacement is signed for the least amount of money the NFL will allow them to pay said replacement, then sorry, you're a bust. A flop. A failure. A wet turd in a bowl of full of piss.

And QBs that throw one TD pass a month and barely average scoring 16 points a game don't get credit for the W-L stat. You only get credit for that stat if you score 20 or more a game. Sorry, those are the rules. Otherwise, you have the same importance when it comes to winning or losing as the punter or long snapper.

If I'm Kenny, I'm taking those little baby hands of mine and spending this offseason working on being a quality holder on field goal kicks. Maybe even get some long snapping reps. You know, try to be useful somehow.

Pickett’s last two TD passes - the game winner inside of two minutes in Baltimore 1 and the game winner late in the 4th Q on a Thursday night game vs. the Titans. He makes them count! A silver bullet from a golden gun. A knight in shining armor. $500 worth of Disney's stock back in the mid 80s.

[.Kodiak]

Kenny? KEN-NNY!!!!!

[Steel Bingo]

Kenny? KEN-NNY!!!!!

Kramer, an all-time TV character.

Russell Wilson emerged as a star when QB play was evolving thanks to NFL initiative to promote offense, and he absolutely benefitted from that. Regardless of his personal fortune of hitting the scene at the right time, I would personally put him in the HOF even if he never played another down. Good for the Steelers for getting him under contract.

[DP39]

I like the move. Wilson is signing a one year deal for the veteran minimum. We aren’t giving up any draft capital. Wilson also had more TD passes last year than the entire Steelers QBs in the last two years combined.

Wilson may not be the player he was before, but neither was Ben in ‘20 or ‘21, and he was light years better than anyone we have had since then.

Our team has had talent infused into it since Omar became GM. He doesn’t fuck around. We could actually be a force with another good draft and free agent class.

Let’s go into free agency getting a center, ILB (Patrick Queen?), and a SS.

You don't think Elandon Roberts played well? That's the type of LB Queen is. The issue the Steelers have is the two best cover LBs they've had in recent years both had catastrophic leg injuries last year. One may retire and the other is no sure thing to be ready for the season. I'd rather sign Jerome Baker a million times over than waste money on Patrick Queen. LB and Center are not spots where I would spend big $ if I could avoid it. SO many safeties who would be great and a glut in supply should be a decent price for an upgrade over 2023.

To me, signing even a solid but unspectacular starting outside CB (think Steven Nelson) or an upgrade at IDL would move the needle more than signings at LB & C.

I agree gentlemen.

The FA Safety (10-15 very good to decent players), Center (5-10 very good to decent players), and ILB (10-15 very good to decent players) markets certainly look like they favor the buyers this off season. That's were I spend some great "value" dollars! The CB market is not too far behind, either -- although a little more pricey, as I see it. IDL has just a few costly stars, but a decent amount of solid, older depth.

My hope is that Khan and Weidl spend our decent cap stockpile ('24 cap hits) on a starting C (~$6M), starting SS (~$7M), good ILB (~$6M), good CB2 (~$6M), and possibly some very good IDL rotational depth (~$2-5M). That's all pretty doable, imo -- especially if Cam restructures/reduces his '24 hit in some form.

Then, draft your starting RT, future WR and CB in the first 3-4 rounds.

[Gonzo]

News report out of Pittsburgh

All Hail NHALS!
Medicore Mike will lead his Most Medicore Team onto the Field in 2024
Smiles all around Steelers Head Office as Everyone gets Extensions and Gets Paid for Avoiding Failure

We feel this gives us our best shot at NHALS and beleive the fans will celebrate our commitment to futlity, boring football and ensuring our staff and players can continue riding the gravy train a little longer

[Havoc]

And also, in case anyone is keeping score at home, Kenny Pickett is now officially a bust. And the Steelers have thankfully recognized it. Thank God.

The whole NFL is a bust besides the Chiefs!

This whole thing is all Tom Brady part 2. Steelers aren’t winning anything unless there is some catastrophic injury to Mahomes. Even then if they were to win a ring, it will be a garbage ring in a down Chiefs year.

The mad scientists of the league should be trying to come up with a defensive formula that stops Mahomes consistently, using their Franchise QB money to do so. That formula or method probably has a higher probability versus landing a FQB from a 500 record draft position. Allen, Mahomes, Stroud….there won’t be another QB to beat Mahomes for another 4-5 years statistically, if then. And nobody drafted since Mahomes can beat him.

Try to land another TJ, get an all pro IMLB, and get another All-Pro corner and safety with the FQB money and see if you can get a winning formula with that. Everyone is on the FQB side of the ship. Go to the other side and try to mad scientist some rings with a mediocre QB and a defense for the ages that can actually stop Mahomes.

Everything else is just pissing in the wind.

The only chance we have of ever getting another ring with Albatross To Offense at HC is a once in 20 year defense.

We would probably need a QB that can make plays in the 4th though.

A healthy Burrow can beat Mahomes. Too bad Burrow hasn't been able to stay healthy.

Mahomes has struggled without Kelse although small sample size.

Formula for the Chiefs last season was great defense plus a QB (& TE) who make plays.

Chiefs offense scored less than 20 in regulation in the Super Bowl, never hit 30 the entire postseason, only 15th in the league in points in the regular season. Kelse is aging. We might have seen the last of chief's juggernaut offense.

[Jizz Mop]

Can’t find a reason not to like this move

1. Cheap

2. Proven commodity

3. Sends KP to bench

Jizz

[Gonzo]

we arent winning jack shit with this Clown at HC

Rogers Waters may come out with a new album
Bored to Death
about the Mike Tomlin Steelers

[Ice]

we arent winning jack shit with this Clown at HC

Rogers Waters may come out with a new album
Bored to Death
about the Mike Tomlin Steelers

Man, Amused to Death was a pretty darn good album. His voice, the mood and subject matter of the music, everything fits really nicely. Some of my favorite post-Floyd Roger.

[Steeldrama]

https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootba ... uarterback

Then came the meeting with Wilson, and it all makes sense. Wilson has a presence, an aura. He says all the right things. He does all the right things. Coach Mike Tomlin, who has managed plenty of difficult personalities over the years, has to love the enthusiasm and zeal of Russell Wilson. Even if it’s wholly or partially contrived, it’s always easier to deal with a fake choir boy than an authentic asshole.

I know it's from Florio but I liked the bolded. ^

[Gonzo]

we arent winning jack shit with this Clown at HC

Rogers Waters may come out with a new album
Bored to Death
about the Mike Tomlin Steelers

Man, Amused to Death was a pretty darn good album. His voice, the mood and subject matter of the music, everything fits really nicely. Some of my favorite post-Floyd Roger.

its one of my favorite albums

[DP39]

And YES.....

[franco32]

It's a no brainer move, but make no mistake though, Wilson is about his brand. He would not be coming here if it weren't for Tomlin. He thinks his brand is enhanced with Mike T since the media continually fawn all over him.

[CoolShades]

we arent winning jack shit with this Clown at HC

Rogers Waters may come out with a new album
Bored to Death
about the Mike Tomlin Steelers

Nope.

And since everyone is resigned to the fact that Coach Dickhead is untouchable, we now argue over the merits of a 35 year old locker room cancer on a one year deal. This is the same team that extended Mitch last year after his first season in Pittsburgh.

The only way this makes sense to me is if he’s been brought in to back up Pickett for the season, and only plays if Pickett gets injured or it’s deemed necessary to save NHALS. If they have decided internally that Pickett isn’t the answer, they should just trade/release him and be done with it. This makes zero sense to me outside of that.

If Wilson is playing week one, and this is a serious football club, then the organization should be evaluating Tomlin hard. He hired Canada, drafted Pickett, and kept Canada after the disaster that was Pickett’s rookie season. He wouldn’t even fire Canada at the bye last year, wasting another year of Pickett’s development/evaluation/rookie contract (are we to believe Canada’s future wasn’t discussed last off-season? If so, how is that possible?) That’s a big deal in general, but for a QB that is as old as Pickett, it’s unforgivable. This fucking incompetent should be fired into the sun.

I can’t stand Tomlin Hell. He’s now the head coaching version of GM Jerry Jones. The only way to explain his Teflon status is that he is a secret team owner or has compromising pictures of Art II with a small farm animal.

[Jobu]

Also, Kenny Pickett is available for trade in the SteelerFury board draft (which starts Sunday, BTW).

Good luck with that…

[gojira5150]

Okie Dokie. Not a bad signing. Now with Arthur Smith at OC we can expect he same offense as the Titans. Thing is they use 2 TE sets frequently. IF, IF, IF Brock Bowers start to slip past 10, I hope they trade up and get him. That dude is awesome.

[bradshaw2ben]

@DP39 i don’t think they need to sign a C unless it is a great deal. They have the perfect C for the Srthur Smith offense playing RG right now and a competent backup in Herbig. They also have a couple of decent guys behind them.

Most of all: this center class in the draft is wonderful. A pick after rd 1 gets it done.

[Jizz Mop]

Okie Dokie. Not a bad signing. Now with Arthur Smith at OC we can expect he same offense as the Titans. Thing is they use 2 TE sets frequently. IF, IF, IF Brock Bowers start to slip past 10, I hope they trade up and get him. That dude is awesome.

We have Muth and The Outlier

We are set

Plus it’s moot….he isn’t dropping and we aren’t going up to get a TE

[Gonzo]

it doesnt matter who the OC is -- same shit new year
this is like the beginnning of Pirates Hell ... new year, new reasons it will change, nothing changes

[Jobu]

https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootba ... uarterback

Then came the meeting with Wilson, and it all makes sense. Wilson has a presence, an aura. He says all the right things. He does all the right things. Coach Mike Tomlin, who has managed plenty of difficult personalities over the years, has to love the enthusiasm and zeal of Russell Wilson. Even if it’s wholly or partially contrived, it’s always easier to deal with a fake choir boy than an authentic asshole.

I know it's from Florio but I liked the bolded. ^

Tomlin is the king of fake choir boys. This should be fun…

[Deebo]

https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootba ... uarterback

Then came the meeting with Wilson, and it all makes sense. Wilson has a presence, an aura. He says all the right things. He does all the right things. Coach Mike Tomlin, who has managed plenty of difficult personalities over the years, has to love the enthusiasm and zeal of Russell Wilson. Even if it’s wholly or partially contrived, it’s always easier to deal with a fake choir boy than an authentic asshole.

I know it's from Florio but I liked the bolded. ^

I don't understand how Tomlin gets credit for "Managing difficult personalities"?

He may have enabled AB's behavior
Juju's tik tok bullshit
Telling Najee he won't help him be a better runner
Bell, Blount, Harrison, Malik Reed all quitting on the team

[franco32]

I actually think we do need another TE if Smith is running that offense. Freiermuth is solid (not spectacular) and has blocking issues. Also injury prone. Darnell is a glorified mobile OT. Heyward is limited as we all know. Wilson certainly could use another legit TE target.

[DP39]

@DP39 i don’t think they need to sign a C unless it is a great deal. They have the perfect C for the Srthur Smith offense playing RG right now and a competent backup in Herbig. They also have a couple of decent guys behind them.

Most of all: this center class in the draft is wonderful. A pick after rd 1 gets it done.

I agree with all of that. I'm just not sure they'll move Daniels over to C. If you look at the C and S FA markets, there will be some REAL steals, imo. I too like the C draft class, but I'm wondering, after signing Wilson, if Tomlin didn't promise him a very good FA vet squatting in front of him (his old DEN buddy, Lloyd Cushenberry, anyone )? That wouldn't surprise me at all.

And I agree, more importantly, there's more than one way to skin a cat, and this year seems to be a great year for cheap(er), viable options -- no matter where you look. I really like the way the market (FA and draft) has fallen in favor of our team needs.

[CoolShades]

https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootba ... uarterback

Then came the meeting with Wilson, and it all makes sense. Wilson has a presence, an aura. He says all the right things. He does all the right things. Coach Mike Tomlin, who has managed plenty of difficult personalities over the years, has to love the enthusiasm and zeal of Russell Wilson. Even if it’s wholly or partially contrived, it’s always easier to deal with a fake choir boy than an authentic asshole.

I know it's from Florio but I liked the bolded. ^

I don't understand how Tomlin gets credit for "Managing difficult personalities"?

He may have enabled AB's behavior
Juju's tik tok bullshit
Telling Najee he won't help him be a better runner
Bell, Blount, Harrison, Malik Reed all quitting on the team

That’s easy.

NHALS.

That “achievement” couldn’t be accomplished without Coach Teflon, “leader of men”.

[Steeldrama]

Russell Wilson led the NFL with 9 touchdown passes on dropbacks longer than 4 seconds last season (extended dropbacks), three more than the next closest QB.

Steelers QBs were one of just two teams to not record a passing TD on an extended dropback in 2023 (Jets).

Per Next Gen

I just found it interesting