Steelers Now
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson has been named the biggest steal of the 2024 free agency cycle.
The Pittsburgh Steelers landed veteran quarterback Russell Wilson on a one-year deal for the league minimum ($1.21 million) last offseason. Despite Wilson’s disappointing end to the season, Joel Corry of CBS Sports still believes he was the biggest steal of the 2024 free agency cycle.
“The Steelers got a veteran starting quarterback for as cheap as possible after the Broncos released Wilson last March,” Corry writes. “Wilson was willing to take a one-year deal for only his league-minimum $1.21 million salary because his $39 million 2024 base salary in the five-year, $245 million contract extension he received from the Broncos during the 2022 preseason was fully guaranteed at signing.”
Wilson missed the Steelers first six games of the regular season while he nursed a calf injury, which he suffered during a conditioning test at the start of training camp.
However, once Wilson made his return, he looked more than worth his contract. Through his first seven games, during which the Steelers went 6-1, he threw for 1,784 yards, 12 touchdowns and three interceptions.
That didn’t last very long, though, as the 36-year-old started showing signs of his age. On the team’s five-game losing streak to end the year, Wilson threw for just 968 yards, six touchdowns and two interceptions.
That has put Wilson’s future with the Steelers in doubt. He has expressed that he would like to re-sign with Pittsburgh for the 2025 season and beyond, but the team seems to still be weighing its options.
Some believe Wilson could still warrant a contract upwards of $100 million on the open market. That would be quite a gamble, which could turn out to be the worst free-agent signing in a year’s time.
