One factor you may’t accuse the Pittsburgh Steelers of anymore is being conservative. Or of not doing every part of their energy to place themselves able to win championships.
That’s fairly clear after they courted and satisfied Russell Wilson to affix a group whose normal supervisor, Omar Khan, mentioned 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 isn’t conservative, even whether it is financially — the Broncos can pay just below $38 million of his $39 million assured wage. The transfer exhibits the Steelers will do something to win now, even when there’s solely an outdoor 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 question exhibits the Steelers are considering win-now relating to 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.
12 months 13. Grateful. @Steelers pic.twitter.com/0U4Q2sRtXs
— Russell Wilson (@DangeRussWilson) March 11, 2024
However there are penalties to what certain appears to be like like a low-risk, no-lose state of affairs for Pittsburgh.
By signing Wilson, the Steelers are beginning the method of discovering a franchise quarterback over again.
You don’t usher in a nine-time Professional Bowler, or higher but, a former Tremendous Bowl champ with an affordable 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, might be on the Steelers in 2025. Perhaps he’ll play so effectively that he can earn more money in free company, or perhaps he’ll fail miserably like he did two years in the past and the Steelers gained’t need him again.
This screams of being a one-year experiment.
Even when Wilson does play effectively, he’ll flip 36 in November. How a lot confidence do you might 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 actually solely a quarterback away from a championship?
Now, that doesn’t imply that is the flawed choice. Given how Pickett has performed, his lack of improvement in his second season and the group’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 somewhat 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 choose within the 2022 draft — a man the Steelers spoke glowingly of for the higher a part of 18 months — another 12 months with a reliable coordinator and a brand new place coach?
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For those who say attempt to win now and the hell with the results, the reply is Wilson.
For those who say you aren’t all in favour of a turntable of doable quarterbacks of the long run, the reply is Pickett, or whomever they could usher in or draft subsequent 12 months. The perfect-case situation is drafting a quarterback in 2025 and creating him, which might convey you to a minimum of 2027 earlier than you’d know in case you have your quarterback of the long run.
You possibly can 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 need to be excessive.
Many issues need to fall the Steelers’ manner — past Wilson taking part in effectively — for them to win a Tremendous Bowl this season. Simply have 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 doubtless signal elsewhere, and make no mistake about it, Pickett’s profession as a Pittsburgh Steeler is all however over. The Steelers need to determine on Pickett’s fifth-year choice subsequent Could. I suppose a colossal Wilson failure coupled with a late-season Pickett push may change the teen’s trajectory, however that’s asking quite a bit.
Wilson’s signing was as a lot about his play because it was about his wage.
You don’t typically 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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Dropping Pickett doesn’t look like a giant deal proper now, nevertheless it might 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 surroundings 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 quite a bit to do with that. If his offense wasn’t fitted to a Corridor of Famer like Ben Roethlisberger, then how may Pickett succeed?
Pickett couldn’t, and he didn’t. I get it, I do.
However that was all supposed to alter this 12 months with Arthur Smith operating the offense and Tom Arth bringing the information he handed onto Herbert with the Chargers.
Now, that gained’t occur. Once you consider Pickett, there’ll all the time be a, “What if?”
What if the Steelers didn’t retain Canada after the 2022 season? What if Pickett acquired a 3rd 12 months to develop? These questions won’t ever be answered now.
All Wilson’s signing will do is guarantee a revolving door at quarterback, for ever and ever.
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 gained’t have a secure quarterback place for years to come back.
If you’re OK with these penalties then, Let’s Journey … or ought to I say #HereWeGo?
(Picture: Harry How / Getty Photographs)