The Pittsburgh Steelers signed Russell Wilson with the expectation that he would serve as a “bridge” until a younger quarterback could be acquired to replace him.
That speculation gained traction when the Steelers acquired Justin Fields in a trade with the Chicago Bears on Saturday. According to some experts, Fields, who started 38 of his 40 games with the Bears, will compete with Wilson for the starting quarterback job.
The speculation may have been premature.
The Steelers intend to sign Wilson to a long-term contract after the 2024 season, according to Gary Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Wilson, 35, will play on a one-year veteran’s minimum salary of $1.2 million in 2024. Wilson agreed to sign for the veteran’s minimum knowing the Denver Broncos are paying him $39 million in 2024.
Barring an unforeseen injury or ridiculously poor play, Wilson is expected to be the team’s starter for Week 1 and Fields will be his backup. If Wilson performs well during the season, the Steelers can sign him to a multi-year deal. If he struggles, Fields could step in and take over.
The latter scenario isn’t what the Steelers are expecting. Wilson posted a solid, bounce-back season with the Broncos in 2023. He threw 26 touchdown passes and just eight interceptions before he was benched for the final two games of the regular season. Wilson’s 26 touchdown passes were more than the Steelers had in the past two seasons combined.
The Steelers appear to believe that Wilson is the quarterback who can not only help them reach the playoffs, but also snap a four-game playoff losing run and record their first postseason victory since 2016.
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