Steelers Now
If not for a late-season downturn, Russell Wilson’s future with the Pittsburgh Steelers would likely be much clearer right now. ESPN’s Matt Bowen feels that Wilson would have a better go of it somewhere else next season.
“Sitting at No. 3 in the draft order, the Giants are in the mix to land a quarterback with their first-round pick this spring,” Bowen wrote Tuesday. “But adding Wilson would give them security heading into the draft. … Because of his diminished mobility, Wilson isn’t a natural creator at this stage. But Giants coach Brian Daboll can scheme for Wilson, using a play-action-heavy approach and setting him up on vertical throws.”
Spotrac calculates that Russell Wilson has the market value for a two-year, $77.4 million contract, a stark contrast from the one-year, $1.2 million deal he agreed to last offseason.
The Giants own the No. 3 pick in April’s NFL Draft. ESPN’s Field Yates predicted in his latest mock draft that they’ll opt for Miami’s Cam Ward with that choice. Mel Kiper Jr. had Big Blue taking Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders in his mock scenario last month.
“I wouldn’t rule out New York pursuing a veteran … before we even get to the draft,” Yates pointed out before diving into his reasoning why Ward would be a good option.
Wilson’s first — and possibly only — season with the Steelers began swimmingly. He won six of his first seven starts for Pittsburgh, who benched Justin Fields to get him on the field. Russell Wilson and the Steelers lost each of their final five games, including a Wild Card playoff matchup with Baltimore.
Russell Wilson briefly met with the Giants last offseason as then-starter Daniel Jones was rehabbing a torn ACL. It’s believed that Wilson wound up in Pittsburgh instead because New York had made up its mind about Jones being the starter when healthy.
