Russell Wilson (Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images)
A new report about Russell Wilson’s offseason performance is concerning or relieving, depending on which side of the coin you’re on.
Following his release from the Denver Broncos, Russell Wilson signed a one-year deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers worth the veteran’s minimum. In releasing the future Hall of Famer, the Broncos took on a record $85 million dead money charge over the next two years.
The decision to release Wilson comes with a risk, and not just because of the dead money charges. He played well under Sean Payton last season, tossing 3,070 yards and 26 touchdowns against only eight interceptions in 15 games.
So if Wilson fares well in Pittsburgh, and if the Broncos don’t get much out of their QB room this year, the AFC West club will look awfully foolish for years to come.
But according to a report from Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated, Russell Wilson hasn’t exactly looked great with his new team up to this point. The same apparently goes for Justin Fields, whom the Steelers acquired via trade with the Chicago Bears:
“I’d look for the Pittsburgh Steelers to keep pushing Russell Wilson. Through the spring, neither Wilson nor Justin Fields lit the world on fire in Pittsburgh. But what the staff did see was a motivated Wilson, who benefitted from the competition Fields was giving him.
So I’ll be interested to see how long Pittsburgh waits to shut down any notion of one.
Yes, it can help to fully declare your starter. But there is something to the benefit the Steelers are getting from having two guys in contract years battling to get on, and stay on, the field. And if the benefit to this point has been Wilson operating like he’s got horse blinders on, maybe it wouldn’t make a ton of sense to go away from that.”
The Broncos used the No. 12 pick of 2024 on Oregon quarterback Bo Nix, who’s competing with Jarrett Stidham and Zach Wilson (acquired in a trade with the New York Jets) for the starting gig.
Only time will tell if the Broncos made the right call in releasing Russell Wilson after a stellar bounce-back year. At any rate, Breer’s report is bound to ease some nerves of Broncos fans.
Russell Wilson Visits His Old Team In Week 2
Wilson won’t have to wait long for a chance at revenge, as his Steelers are set to visit the Broncos in Week 2 on Sept. 15. (4:25 p.m. EST).
It’s only fitting that Wilson will get another early-season showdown with his old team. Remember, his Broncos debut came in Week 1 of the 2022 campaign against the Seattle Seahawks at CenturyLink Field.
