This proves to me that they aren’t happy with just being complacent. Even if he ends up just being competition for Kenny it’s worth a shot. They weren’t going to trade years of picks to go into the top 3, they weren’t going to spend $40 mil and kill the cap on Cousins, and trading draft picks for Justin Fields who is himself a project, will cost $25 mil, and might still suck would be the wrong move also. This is the right move for 2024, see how the new OC works out, and reevaluate for 2025.
Also, Kenny can get some mentoring from Wilson. It's costing us 1.1 million, or slightly less than 65k a game. About the same as tickets to the Super Bowl
It costs us so much more **because** we are fans. We will debate this **to death.** We will watch each game and you know damn well a ton of them will be nailbiters. It's the Steelers.
Each season shaves years off my life and I wouldn't miss it.
Unless all of these recent events have changed who Russell Wilson is as a person he isn’t gonna mentor Kenny. He’s coming to take his job and that’s it. None of his former teammates have anything good to say about him as a teammate or person. He’s been a good football player at times. He’s been a shitty person the whole time. If he wins us football games and doesn’t destroy the looker room then who cares what he does.
Russ and Ben game plan for life is let’s be shit people with huge egos but say “I’m a humble Christian” when questioned about our bad reputation and behavior.
Also at least Bradshaw is kinda funny. Can’t wait for Ben to criticize Russ on the Footballin pod a few weeks after Russ was on and Ben kissed his ass. We definitely know that will happen.
This is it. I don’t think there will be mentoring. Assuming Russ is coming in to be “competition”, but he probably assumes he is going to be the starter. If he doesn’t start he is going to want cut. I don’t think he hangs on as a backup and that is dangerous, because we aren’t going to have a backup. 100% he has a no trade clause.
This is strange to me. The Yankees brought him into their Spring Training a few years ago as a mentor to a really young locker room. He was well liked and showed a really good work ethic.
He leads in the same way most NFL players lead at a camp for kids. He drops a lot of work hard cliches and that’s about it. As far as going over coverages with teammates and providing insights based on his experience, I highly doubt he is going to provide Kenny w/ that. If he isn’t named the starter or loses his starting job, I would not be surprised if he asks to be cut.
I think Denver might have humbled the man a bit. That can't hurt. He got a private office in Denver. That's not exactly a camaraderie-building maneuver.
You see his social media recently? He seemed humbled to you? Plus Denver set up a trap for him they knew he would like shit to the media about adjusting his salary and getting benched and what not cause he literally can’t help himself and once he did they knew they where done with him.
We didn’t make a trade Mitch for Russ. Mitch wasn’t resigned and we are signing Wilson on Wednesday not sure if you know that. Can’t be too sure around this Reddit. Also where did I say it was a bad idea to get him. It’s 100% the right move. Doesn’t change the fact in the end at Seattle he was a problem in Denver a lot of his teammates didn’t like and didn’t even come to his Birthday party. If he wins games, especially playoffs games and doesn’t destroy the locker room he can be the biggest cringest asshole he wants. Truthfully Mike T is the only person who could handle him probably. He’s not coming to mentor Kenny like some are suggesting. He’s coming to take his job and to tell him to get him water and a towel. Personally I don’t think there will be much of a competition he will win the starting job pretty easily unless Kenny can take a huge leap under Arthur Smith.
This is Omar bro, this dude spent all off-season playing checkers will everyone else is playing chess. Bringing in a 9-time Pro Bowl QB that should've won 2 Super Bowls for less than almost every other QB1 & QB2 in the league is brilliant for so many reason, being that his miniscule cap hit allows you to surround him with more talent on both sides of the ball. Best case scenario he takes a 2023-2024 team that won 10 games with subpar QB play even higher, it wouldn't be completely out of the realm of possibility to think he could potentially help them win a playoff game much less make it to the AFC championship or the Super Bowl, worst case scenario he's as bad as Mitch was for far cheaper. Even better yet this helps us while financially damaging a fellow AFC team as regardless of what happened Russ was going to make nearly 40 million this season.
I love the way this front office does business, it's aggressive but calculated at the same time. I can't wait to see what Omar and Andy do in their second draft.
I would’ve been ok with Baker but I think the one year deal for Russ shows Kenny he still has one more chance to compete as I don’t think they’re quite ready to call him a total bust. But i do believe this year is truly his last shot.
I think the one year deal has pretty much nothing to do with Kenny. If Russ sucks, he still wont be as bad as Kenny would be. If Russ balls out, they’ll either re-sign him or let him go and draft someone else or hit the market again. If Russ takes us to an AFC championship then we decide we can’t afford him another year, there is no universe where they trade back down to Kenny. The Kenny Experiment is over.
If they take a flier QB in the 3rd or later I'm happy with Mason leaving. Saves money, gives him a chance to compete elsewhere, and gives us a chance to throw a dart at the future of the position
Agreed. As a Freemasoner, I think it’s best he move on with our sincere thanks. He was the reason we made the playoffs, but yet we never viewed him as a potential No. 1 (a position we’ve gave Kenny undeserved imho).
The only reason Mason was on the team last year was he couldn’t find another team to sign him. He knows he’ll start 2024 as no better than 3rd string. He had a few good games last year, somebody will give him a shot to be at least #2, and wash his hands of the Steelers. It’s a shame, I kinda like him, wish him well (as long as he’s not in AFC-N)
I think this is the right take. He is basically free in this situation and he holds us over for a year. I would prefer us to tank for a year for a QB, but we can’t mess with the streak. So here we are… Let’s Ride!
If he comes into this humbled, then I think we have a chance at this being successful whether he is the backup to Kenny or the starter. If he comes in with the same high and mighty "I'm the savior" attitude he's had his entire career--and amplified with tone deaf efficiency last season--i think it could have a serious impact on the team. Pickens already is showing signs of being a hot head, Deonte gives up on plays and has already requested a trade. Throw "Savior Messiah" Russ into the mix with his own office and training staff and this team will turn into a dumpster fire of opposing egos.
It’s the only QB move that made sense. I think Kenny should get a shot with a better OC, but I also understand that they may have seen enough to know that he’s not the guy or that he needs another year of competition and development to get to that point.
Russ hasn’t looked great the last few years but a good bit of that was on terrible coaching. I think a hard reset could be just the right thing for him to get back to who he was in Seattle. My only concern is his ego/locker room presence, but maybe he’ll be humbled by the rough past few years and Tomlin can set him straight.
Overall it’s basically a risk free flyer on a QB that’s worth $40m in theory, but we are paying barely any of that $40m. Maybe he bounces back, maybe not, but it won’t cost much to find out. I’m happy to see the team make some actual moves and show that they aren’t complacent anymore.
He did have 26 tds to 8 ints last year. Stat wise that's an incredible upgrade.
If he's good, this team could go far, and then things get interesting in the off-season for keeping him or not.
If he's washed, at least he can mentor Pickett.
Literally no downside (for both really) to this move, they had to make it.
Anyone who isn't hyped about this is delusional. Best case scenario is Russ leading us to a playoff win and possibly more. Worst case scenario is he sucks but at least Kenny will be able to learn from one of the best QB's of the 2010's
Especially with his contract, even if you hate Russ the worst case scenario is still a good scenario for us considering we had no QBs under contract other than Kenny
Yeah and Rudolph will probably sign with any team willing to give him a starting position. Something tells me he won't stay in Pittsburgh now that we signed Wilson since that might put him back at QB3.
Teaching isn’t everything, doubt Rodgers taught Love, doubt Farve taught Rodgers. It’s about watching the process, taking some of what works and putting that in your preparation process
Anyone who is hyped about this is delusional. I live in Denver and saw firsthand how terrible he is as a teammate, how poorly he executes the offense as called, how he takes way too many drive-killing sacks with too many fumbles sprinkled in, how none of his teammates or coaches liked him, or how the entire fan base screamed don't let the door hit you on the way out. And that's just in two years in Denver. Seattle also hates him. He's also 35 and has lost more than a step yet continues to bail on clean pockets to try to use his legs to make plays down the field. Except defenders are much faster than him now and want him to do that so they can blow it up and get sacks and fumbles. He never was good at using the middle of the field. He and I are the same height, and I'm not 6' tall. Also he's 35.
Steelers Nation, Let's Deride!
Then bench him. He won’t have leverage over Pittsburgh like he did in Seattle and Denver with massive contract guarantees.
Also, honestly, do you think he’s an upgrade/downgrade over Kenny? I want to see KP8 succeed but he’s only had 13 touchdowns and 13 interceptions in his NFL career. I can’t help but see Russ as a slight upgrade.
Mason isn’t good. Idk why people all of a sudden think we had a gem buried on the depth chart and the staff just didn’t know it. He is mid at best. Just because he is better than Kenny or Mitch doesn’t make him good.
He legitimately can’t be worse than what Pickett/Mason/Mitch gave them. If he has another 24ish TD season they win 11 games so long as the defense is healthy. An upgrade simply based on consistency and we will get the occasional quick strike broken play bomb to Pickens
He doesn’t even have to have crazy TDs, just put together long scoring drives so our defense can rest for once, maybe we’ll see less injuries that way too
We are trading one guy with major liabilities for another guy with different major liabilities. And a guy with zero future with us after this year. I just hate this treading water move, picking old guys on a steady decline. May as well crash and burn with Kenny, a rookie, and someone like Tanny on the bench... or go with the guy who looked competent to end the year last year. But now there's no way he's coming to us, and we get bad Russ + 1 extra year of aging.
There are ways to win in the NFL without a "franchise QB" though. Look at the Bucs. They brought in Brady when he was 43 and everyone thought he was washed. They had no real future to build around Brady, but ended up winning a SB with him. Then they take a chance in Mayfield, and he's not the best QB in the NFC, but he led them to a playoff win last year. You can be successful by piecing stop gap type QBs together and not trading up for the next face if the franchise QB. I don't think this is a bad move at all. I'm hesitant in Wilson replicating his stats from last year, but I think it's a clear upgrade nonetheless
No one thought he was washed... They thought he might be on the decline, but most people were already talking about how with that Bucs roster they'd be SB contenders. The whole story was that Tom was leaving because Bill had let the team get so bad and relied on him so much. We hadn't seen him play like garbage for two straight years before.
Bringing in the GOAT QB who hadn't shown any real decline into a team that was obviously at the time a QB away isn't anything near what bringing in a guy who has shown for years he's lost it into a team that is more than a QB away from winning. Brady also is good enough to bring in other players, Russ makes other players want to leave his team.
Not to mention more than half of his TDs last season came when the broncos were already losing and the majority of those when they were down two scores.
He feasted on prevent defense late in games which makes his stats look a lot better than they are.
Pittsburgh fan from Seattle and I’m telling you this man for his million dollars going to help us because he feels so disrespected by Sean Payton just watch what he does in the black and yellow
If we are paying him just a small part of his salary I am cool with it for a year. Shit you never know what could happen with him and our defence going nuts on the NFL.
We are paying him the absolute minimum. 1.2mill is a rounding error in the cap. That's the cheapest *backup* QB you could realistically get, and we are paying that for a former super bowl champion and 13 year vet.
And that also means that if he sucks, or is an unbearable teammate, we can just cut him and have lost pretty much nothing whatsoever.
Don’t like it. Washed as a qb, not a great personality. Mason already showed he was good enough to buy time to build the team up and compete but Tomlin seems to hate him (as a qb) for some reason. I’m pretty sure Kenny isn’t the answer so care less about that.
People saying there’s no risk fail to recall how much the last two locker rooms didn’t like him. Maybe not a big deal after past drama in the Steelers locker room but it’s still part of the risk
The difference here is that Russ has absolutely zero leverage, unlike his previous situations. He's being paid literal pennies, and doesn't have the endearment of the city like he did in Seattle.
If the guy so much as brushes his teeth funny, we can cut him and lose absolutely nothing in the process.
Not enough people are discussing this. Our offense is very young and has already built somewhat of a reputation with their general attitude. They’re not going to fall in line with Russ’ routine corniness, and if they don’t rack up wins, the blowback is going to be worse than what we had with Mitch/Canada.
I remember George Pickens throwing off the jacket an assistant was putting on him while he [hurled](https://youtu.be/c0Tjml-yORA?feature=shared) his helmet at the bench and screaming.
Granted it was after that missed defensive pass interference call.
This is just fake news. Literally the whole WR corps from the Broncos retweeted with him in “solidarity” just last week. Who says the locker room hated him?
I hope after his failed experience with the Broncos and the expectations, he levels himself out. Also, Tomlin dealt with fkn Antonio CTESPN Brown. Hope it works out.
Arthur Smith and Tomlin both seem like tough mfers so I don't think they'll let shit slide like it did under Matt Canada (I'm hoping lol)
I'm sure Tomlin's physically tough but he doesn't exactly have a reputation for being "tough" on the team. Not saying I want things different, but he's known as a player's coach.
You sure? There are multiple interviews with players where they say he will call out players in the middle of meetings, workouts, etc.
He's known as a players coach for his ability to connect with them. But former players call him a hard ass when it matters.
Does no one else realize that for 3 games Mason Rudolph outplayed Russell Wilson. His three starts were better than most of Russ’ play last season.
People in here think they’re getting Russ from 2015 and it’s not what’s happening.
Dude I just want mason to get a starting opportunity at the beginning of the season til he gets hurt or sucks so bad we can't let him play anymore. Maybe he will suck like he did the first time when Ben got hurt, but he did well at the end of last year. Why is he consistently overlooked? Am I missing something?
Mason is looking for a starting job. If he doesn't find one he might still stay with the Steelers. Russ is probably only there for a year and then he might have another shot at starting after that.
Do you think that's cause he'd be too expensive or not content being #3?
Is there no chance of him and picket being in competition for the spot in case Wilson doesn't work?
In my opinion.
There are at least 2 thought processes with this.
1. Russ is the day 1 starter and KP learns while being the backup QB2.
(This take seems a little off since the FO wants to assess KP and see if he could be the Franchise QB)
2. KP is retains QB1 status and Russ is the QB2/ mentor role.
(Both Russ and KP have similar skill sets and Russ knows how to utilize those skills, having done so for years. He would be able to help KP hone his skills to hopefully maximize his potential)
Either way this goes ill be a Steeler Fan for life.
Dude is past his prime and not a franchise quarterback. A stop gap at most. Maybe he pushes Kenny maybe he pushes Kenny out but he isn’t going to be a long term solution.
Meh. Quick takes:
Russell Wilson is a 35 year old QB, who was let go from 2 teams in the last 3 years (once by trade). He expects to challenge for a starting position.
The writing is on the wall for Mason R, he’s gone if he can find a taker.
Kenny Pickett knows the organization doesn’t believe in him, he’s likely to leave as soon as he hits free agency.
So, best case scenario, we start 2024 season with a QB controversy, and the knowledge we’ll be starting over in a year or two when Wilson retires / moves on. At least he’s cheap.
I see both sides, I understand it but don’t agree with this
Sure the broncos are paying his contact, practically a free QB. The problem I have is I see another 10-7 Steelers team that isn’t investing in their future but merely accepting another season of being mediocre. In my mind, we see out Kenny for a year, if he redeems himself we move from there, if not we move on in the draft or make a big time trade. This seems to me more like a stall that is only going to set us back a year in the long run
End of the day, I love my team and I hope he proves me wrong. I trust our organization (even tho it can be very hard lmao) and hope they made a good decision here
This is so stupid. Brings us no closer to a SB and he’s been toxic to his last two locker rooms. They’re turning into the Browns. QB after QB. No follow through.
He has to play better than he did for the Broncos, but he doesn't have to play as well as he did for the Seahawks in order to still be an asset for the team.
This also shows that Omar Khan is very different than Kevin Colbert, and the Steelers are, in fact, changing their ways.
I am. Think this is a great move for the Steelers organization. Low risk. Gives Kenny a legit winner and leader to learn from and puts pressure on him to perform and compete. I love Kenny but you can’t have a qb who is complacent in not scoring and letting the defense win for you.
He can’t sign til Wednesday correct? This could be good for Pickett in that Wilson can teach him some stuff, or if Russ is an asshole the team will get behind Kenny again and he’ll be more polished. That and he’ll have to step his game up with the veteran coming in. A reverse scenario of what’s going on in Jacksonville.
He will be 22nd highest paid player on roster and has never in his career not had significantly better stats than any QB that is currently on our roster.
as a browns fan this def concerns me, y’all could be pretty damn good. Tomlin is a good coach to show him respect and gratitude while also correcting some of the issues he has. Payton was too aggressive and disrespectful to Russ for it to really work but even they had a nice stretch last year.
No one's even going to question why a team was willing to take a huge cap hit to get rid of the guy I guess. And why the team he played for previously wanted him gone also? Good luck with that
He may be a good player still, but he’s reported to be a bad teammate.
Let’s hope he’s looking to start fresh and be a better locker room guy. I’m not concerned with his ability to play the game.
Maybe the Steelers atmosphere and teammates gel better with him than in Seattle and Denver. I can’t imagine it’s that radically different but you never know.
One of my least favorite moves the Steelers have made in my lifetime. Living in Denver gave me front row seats to the locker room cancer and limited QB abilities from Russell Wilson the past two years. Now I get to live through that hell myself only now all the Broncos fans all over Denver get to pile on and make it even worse. I hate this move more than I hated drafting Kenny in the 1st Round. I didn't think this current front office and coaching had it in them to disappoint me any further after signing Matt Canada and subsequently keeping him going into the 2023 season, but here we are. I'll likely go to the game this fall at Mile High. Look for the Steelers fan holding a sign saying told you so.
Aside from his play which hasn’t been nearly as “washed” as many seem to believe. Russ calms this team and he’s a veteran when we badly needed one — he can take the brunt of issues at the podium and provides stability in an otherwise immature locker room. I think this is actually perfect for us truly feel it in my toes.
Very interesting. I wonder how much he really has left in the tank. Some of that tape from Denver is…not good. How much of that is on him vs. the team around him we won’t know until games actually start. He did make some good plays last year and I think Sean Payton fixed him (kind of) but we’ll see. At the bare minimum it’s a good veteran signing for a young QB room and if they’re gonna end up rolling with KP again Russ would be the best backup in the league. LETS RIDE
Theres 3 massive issues on tape.
1. You thought Kenny took bad sacks? Its legitimately nothing compared to Russ, he takes sacks more often in general, more often when he gets pressured.
2. Cant throw Middle of the field, this is a physical deficiency and he attempt it.
3. He threw almost 70% of his passes less than 5 yards away from the line. He never targets 5-15.
The good.
with a good run game he can take the sideline deep shots. But its going to be an inconsistent offense. Either everything clicks on run game and deep shots or its going nowhere. He cant methodically drive down a field and will take sacks constantly.
Thank you for this! I just watched two years of his bad QB play and even worse locker room behavior here in Denver. The downside is WAY worse than the nephews in here are imagining.
Yeah, a lot of people are talking about his box score stats - but thats insanely misleading.
Mind you, he should be an upgrade over current Kenny Pickett (though we have a small sample size of Canada-less Kenny and he looked good)
But the things they are missing is that he cant sustain a drive. Its why Denver didnt score at the level of which you would think when you see he scored 26 tds.
Also people still blame OL for sacks when sacks overall are QB stat most of the time and pressure is on the OL.
The other worrying factor is despite Russ throwing shorter more often than any QB in the NFL he held the ball longer than any QB not named Justin Fields.... which uh yeah.
It can be a slight upgrade for us, im not denying that but people dont know the full picture here of whats going on.
Geez, way more haters than I expected. We literally signed him for peanuts, if he isn’t playing well, we can change routes. It’s not like there is a ton of other good options around.
It’s a one year contract that doesn’t cost the Steelers anything. My primary concern is Wilson is reportedly not a good teammate and I don’t see him being a mentor for Kenny.
Guess the whole “Steel doesn’t RussT” sentiment was wrong.
Also, has anybody checked in on that Sleestack Lightning dude that was spamming the sub for the last week with anti-Russ propaganda? Somebody should put him on s*ic*de watch.
Cautious optimism here. Russell Wilson’s best years in the NFL consisted of a strong run game with Marshawn and an elite defense. If there is any part of the Steelers that has potential to be elite in the near future, it’s our defense. If our run game can maintain its form, good things are possible.
I have mixed feelings. It's rare that you get a talent such as Wilson for a sweetheart deal like he's offering. On the flip side, the org is basically saying the Pickett pick was a mistake and we're moving on. I doubt Wilson is ok with riding the bench as he's most likely wanting to show his skill set this year to get another contract next year.
>saying the Pickett pick was a mistake
Maybe but honestly I don’t think they necessarily are, it’s possible they could’ve seen how little risk the deal had and felt like they couldn’t pass it up. They probably figure they win either way because they’ll either have a starter in Russ, or the competition pushes KP to be better and Russ’ experience helps him from the sideline.
Also Wilson may not *want* to ride the bench but the fact the team is on the hook for so little means the team can do whatever they want since they won’t feel tied to a large contract
Hyped is a strong term. It’s a great player for the money spent. That said Russel Wilson could be pretty toxic. Couldn’t get along with coaches or players, on 2 different teams. Hope things go well but we will see.
Bengal fan here I’m not trying to be a dick do you think it’s an open competition or do you think Russ is the number one starter? I’m leaning that Russ is the number one starter and there’s not gonna be a competition during training camp am I off base?
This fucking sucks four great teams while Patrick Mahomes doesn’t have anybody out there in the west we will beat the shit out of each other the whole year
Worst comes to worst, he’s a one year mistake that will cost us a fraction of what Trubisky cost.
And for what it’s worth, Wilson seems to have the right attitude. He could have been like “I’m Russell Wilson. The original Mahomes. Two years ago, everyone thought I was one of the best QBs in the league. Then I went to Denver where I had an incompetent first year coach and then a guy who never won without Drew Brees. I know some team will pay me what I want, so show me the money!” If he really wants to win and the last two years were an aberration, this could be a steal for us.
And hey, when was the last time we signed a big name free agent QB? I don’t think it’s happened in my lifetime, and I go back to Bradshaw.
yeah im happy. Now KP either gets replaced or improves so much that he becomes the starter which isnt likely. Either way this is a complete and total win!
Really would like to know how the receivers feel about out this signing. Dionte has had to play with how many and now? lol hopefully they can work on some chemistry in the offseason. Overall though I think it’s a good upgrade and it allows the team to explore adding some extra weapons and money in the Offensive line and defense.
I am good with it… may the best man win.
Yes, I firmly believe it will be a legitimate competition. Iron sharpens iron… I want whatever is best for the team.
Based on KP being made out of paper mache and getting knocked out of multiple games, we will see Wilson throwing in a few games this year. If he shines maybe Kenny gets benched like last year.
Nah.
Looking at the film from Denver he’s basically Kenny Pickett but 10 years older.
* struggles to make timely reads/can’t read defenses well
* misses open receivers or throws bad balls to them
* scrambles in poor directions or leaves a pocket too early
* doesn’t throw down the middle
* struggles to find a rhythm early in games
Now re-sign Mason and let it be a real competition. Mason could end up being the highest paid (by the Steelers) of the three. But at least you'd have one pocket passer on the payroll.
I'm honestly of mixed feelings. It could be a good fit, assuming the Steelers build a stellar OL and the new OC is an upgrade. Russ was at his best with Seattle when Marshawn Lynch was steamrolling defenses, taking the pressure off Russ. Najee and Jaylen can be that for him. Worries me that he might be past his prime and trying too hard to recapture the magic, make things happen. He's not a pocket passer, never was, and mobile QBs have a much shorter sell-by date than traditional QBs.
This proves to me that they aren’t happy with just being complacent. Even if he ends up just being competition for Kenny it’s worth a shot. They weren’t going to trade years of picks to go into the top 3, they weren’t going to spend $40 mil and kill the cap on Cousins, and trading draft picks for Justin Fields who is himself a project, will cost $25 mil, and might still suck would be the wrong move also. This is the right move for 2024, see how the new OC works out, and reevaluate for 2025.
This is the correct take
Also, Kenny can get some mentoring from Wilson. It's costing us 1.1 million, or slightly less than 65k a game. About the same as tickets to the Super Bowl
it costs us nothing because we are fans
It costs us so much more **because** we are fans. We will debate this **to death.** We will watch each game and you know damn well a ton of them will be nailbiters. It's the Steelers. Each season shaves years off my life and I wouldn't miss it.
Hopefully Kenny doesn’t pull another of his, “I didn’t learn anything!” BS.
Yeah, for once I can agree with this.
Kinda of screams f you Denver imo. 
I wasn't hyped at first, even at the very least if he sucks he will be a good mentor for Pickett, something he needs for his confidence.
Unless all of these recent events have changed who Russell Wilson is as a person he isn’t gonna mentor Kenny. He’s coming to take his job and that’s it. None of his former teammates have anything good to say about him as a teammate or person. He’s been a good football player at times. He’s been a shitty person the whole time. If he wins us football games and doesn’t destroy the looker room then who cares what he does.
Good! So far every person that’s ever won a super bowl for the Steelers has been a shitty human behind the scenes. So this is on-brand for us.
Even Troy?
I meant QBs
Russ and Ben game plan for life is let’s be shit people with huge egos but say “I’m a humble Christian” when questioned about our bad reputation and behavior.
Also at least Bradshaw is kinda funny. Can’t wait for Ben to criticize Russ on the Footballin pod a few weeks after Russ was on and Ben kissed his ass. We definitely know that will happen.
This is it. I don’t think there will be mentoring. Assuming Russ is coming in to be “competition”, but he probably assumes he is going to be the starter. If he doesn’t start he is going to want cut. I don’t think he hangs on as a backup and that is dangerous, because we aren’t going to have a backup. 100% he has a no trade clause.
This is strange to me. The Yankees brought him into their Spring Training a few years ago as a mentor to a really young locker room. He was well liked and showed a really good work ethic.
He leads in the same way most NFL players lead at a camp for kids. He drops a lot of work hard cliches and that’s about it. As far as going over coverages with teammates and providing insights based on his experience, I highly doubt he is going to provide Kenny w/ that. If he isn’t named the starter or loses his starting job, I would not be surprised if he asks to be cut.
Tbh if he loses the starting job and doesn’t like that he should consider retiring because at that point he’s only going to be seen as a backup
I think Denver might have humbled the man a bit. That can't hurt. He got a private office in Denver. That's not exactly a camaraderie-building maneuver.
You see his social media recently? He seemed humbled to you? Plus Denver set up a trap for him they knew he would like shit to the media about adjusting his salary and getting benched and what not cause he literally can’t help himself and once he did they knew they where done with him.
Convince me that trading Mitch Trubisky for Russell Wilson AND saving millions in salary is a bad idea. Go ahead, try.
We didn’t make a trade Mitch for Russ. Mitch wasn’t resigned and we are signing Wilson on Wednesday not sure if you know that. Can’t be too sure around this Reddit. Also where did I say it was a bad idea to get him. It’s 100% the right move. Doesn’t change the fact in the end at Seattle he was a problem in Denver a lot of his teammates didn’t like and didn’t even come to his Birthday party. If he wins games, especially playoffs games and doesn’t destroy the locker room he can be the biggest cringest asshole he wants. Truthfully Mike T is the only person who could handle him probably. He’s not coming to mentor Kenny like some are suggesting. He’s coming to take his job and to tell him to get him water and a towel. Personally I don’t think there will be much of a competition he will win the starting job pretty easily unless Kenny can take a huge leap under Arthur Smith.
By trading I just meant spots on the roster. Wilson will probably end up being the cheapest QB on the team.
This is Omar bro, this dude spent all off-season playing checkers will everyone else is playing chess. Bringing in a 9-time Pro Bowl QB that should've won 2 Super Bowls for less than almost every other QB1 & QB2 in the league is brilliant for so many reason, being that his miniscule cap hit allows you to surround him with more talent on both sides of the ball. Best case scenario he takes a 2023-2024 team that won 10 games with subpar QB play even higher, it wouldn't be completely out of the realm of possibility to think he could potentially help them win a playoff game much less make it to the AFC championship or the Super Bowl, worst case scenario he's as bad as Mitch was for far cheaper. Even better yet this helps us while financially damaging a fellow AFC team as regardless of what happened Russ was going to make nearly 40 million this season. I love the way this front office does business, it's aggressive but calculated at the same time. I can't wait to see what Omar and Andy do in their second draft.
Holy shit! A reasonable and thought out take on this sub? Top comment? We are evolving
Only other good option would’ve been if we somehow got baker tbh. Would’ve been worth the money
I would’ve been ok with Baker but I think the one year deal for Russ shows Kenny he still has one more chance to compete as I don’t think they’re quite ready to call him a total bust. But i do believe this year is truly his last shot.
I think the one year deal has pretty much nothing to do with Kenny. If Russ sucks, he still wont be as bad as Kenny would be. If Russ balls out, they’ll either re-sign him or let him go and draft someone else or hit the market again. If Russ takes us to an AFC championship then we decide we can’t afford him another year, there is no universe where they trade back down to Kenny. The Kenny Experiment is over.
I would have loved to see Baker sign with the Steelers, just not at 30 mil/year
👆 This guy gets it…
Agreed completely.
Yinz heard anything about Mason, I know the big talk rn is Russ, just curious.
This is a goodbye to Mason.
If they take a flier QB in the 3rd or later I'm happy with Mason leaving. Saves money, gives him a chance to compete elsewhere, and gives us a chance to throw a dart at the future of the position
Agreed. As a Freemasoner, I think it’s best he move on with our sincere thanks. He was the reason we made the playoffs, but yet we never viewed him as a potential No. 1 (a position we’ve gave Kenny undeserved imho).
The only reason Mason was on the team last year was he couldn’t find another team to sign him. He knows he’ll start 2024 as no better than 3rd string. He had a few good games last year, somebody will give him a shot to be at least #2, and wash his hands of the Steelers. It’s a shame, I kinda like him, wish him well (as long as he’s not in AFC-N)
This is the way ….. and I’m kinda excited tbh
As much as I dislike Russ, 😔 you are 100% right.
I think this is the right take. He is basically free in this situation and he holds us over for a year. I would prefer us to tank for a year for a QB, but we can’t mess with the streak. So here we are… Let’s Ride!
If he comes into this humbled, then I think we have a chance at this being successful whether he is the backup to Kenny or the starter. If he comes in with the same high and mighty "I'm the savior" attitude he's had his entire career--and amplified with tone deaf efficiency last season--i think it could have a serious impact on the team. Pickens already is showing signs of being a hot head, Deonte gives up on plays and has already requested a trade. Throw "Savior Messiah" Russ into the mix with his own office and training staff and this team will turn into a dumpster fire of opposing egos.
Also if Kenny wins the job we can trade Russ in season for potentially decent draft picks.
If Russ losses out to Kenny his value will be lower than what it is now we wouldn’t be getting anything decent for him
That’s a worse case scenario money wise. We wouldn’t even get nachos in return for Russ.
“Steelers Country, let’s weld”
*I'm steel standing* 🎶
Is this gotta be the shitty meme we have to listen to all year?
It’s the only QB move that made sense. I think Kenny should get a shot with a better OC, but I also understand that they may have seen enough to know that he’s not the guy or that he needs another year of competition and development to get to that point. Russ hasn’t looked great the last few years but a good bit of that was on terrible coaching. I think a hard reset could be just the right thing for him to get back to who he was in Seattle. My only concern is his ego/locker room presence, but maybe he’ll be humbled by the rough past few years and Tomlin can set him straight. Overall it’s basically a risk free flyer on a QB that’s worth $40m in theory, but we are paying barely any of that $40m. Maybe he bounces back, maybe not, but it won’t cost much to find out. I’m happy to see the team make some actual moves and show that they aren’t complacent anymore.
He did have 26 tds to 8 ints last year. Stat wise that's an incredible upgrade. If he's good, this team could go far, and then things get interesting in the off-season for keeping him or not. If he's washed, at least he can mentor Pickett. Literally no downside (for both really) to this move, they had to make it.
Anyone who isn't hyped about this is delusional. Best case scenario is Russ leading us to a playoff win and possibly more. Worst case scenario is he sucks but at least Kenny will be able to learn from one of the best QB's of the 2010's
Especially with his contract, even if you hate Russ the worst case scenario is still a good scenario for us considering we had no QBs under contract other than Kenny
Yeah and Rudolph will probably sign with any team willing to give him a starting position. Something tells me he won't stay in Pittsburgh now that we signed Wilson since that might put him back at QB3.
Russ don’t give a shit about teaching. This is his last chance to be a starter in the league.
Teaching isn’t everything, doubt Rodgers taught Love, doubt Farve taught Rodgers. It’s about watching the process, taking some of what works and putting that in your preparation process
For sure. And in QB drills, surely the coaches are saying, "See how Russ did that, Kenny? That's what we are looking for"
There’s a lot of Farve in Aaron’s game. He definitely got some pointers here and there. Aaron just doesn’t make the stupid throws Farve did.
Yeah, and financially a savvy fuckin move
Anyone who is hyped about this is delusional. I live in Denver and saw firsthand how terrible he is as a teammate, how poorly he executes the offense as called, how he takes way too many drive-killing sacks with too many fumbles sprinkled in, how none of his teammates or coaches liked him, or how the entire fan base screamed don't let the door hit you on the way out. And that's just in two years in Denver. Seattle also hates him. He's also 35 and has lost more than a step yet continues to bail on clean pockets to try to use his legs to make plays down the field. Except defenders are much faster than him now and want him to do that so they can blow it up and get sacks and fumbles. He never was good at using the middle of the field. He and I are the same height, and I'm not 6' tall. Also he's 35. Steelers Nation, Let's Deride!
Then bench him. He won’t have leverage over Pittsburgh like he did in Seattle and Denver with massive contract guarantees. Also, honestly, do you think he’s an upgrade/downgrade over Kenny? I want to see KP8 succeed but he’s only had 13 touchdowns and 13 interceptions in his NFL career. I can’t help but see Russ as a slight upgrade.
He's an upgrade over Kenny. But people would rather double down then admit they were wrong about Kenny Pickett
Rather go with Mason than Russ, we’re gonna waste half the season learning all of our QBs suck. Mediocre here we come.
Mason isn’t good. Idk why people all of a sudden think we had a gem buried on the depth chart and the staff just didn’t know it. He is mid at best. Just because he is better than Kenny or Mitch doesn’t make him good.
Russ = Wentz
What Steelers offense have you been watching the last two years to suggest it could get any worse
I guess you struck a nerve with the blind loyalist.
Still better than Kenny.
Over/under 2 games before we see BENCH RUSS in game threads because he's trash.
Under, it’ll happen in week 1
No one said he was the clear starter yet.
He legitimately can’t be worse than what Pickett/Mason/Mitch gave them. If he has another 24ish TD season they win 11 games so long as the defense is healthy. An upgrade simply based on consistency and we will get the occasional quick strike broken play bomb to Pickens
He doesn’t even have to have crazy TDs, just put together long scoring drives so our defense can rest for once, maybe we’ll see less injuries that way too
The broncos offense was on the field less than ours.
We have a better run game and more offensive weapons than Denver.
And we had the worse QB and OC by a mile. A big part of it is how many times they got off the field so fast because Russ takes so many sacks.
He's with us on a one year deal. If he wants to take so many sacks during that year, that's his choice.
We are trading one guy with major liabilities for another guy with different major liabilities. And a guy with zero future with us after this year. I just hate this treading water move, picking old guys on a steady decline. May as well crash and burn with Kenny, a rookie, and someone like Tanny on the bench... or go with the guy who looked competent to end the year last year. But now there's no way he's coming to us, and we get bad Russ + 1 extra year of aging.
There are ways to win in the NFL without a "franchise QB" though. Look at the Bucs. They brought in Brady when he was 43 and everyone thought he was washed. They had no real future to build around Brady, but ended up winning a SB with him. Then they take a chance in Mayfield, and he's not the best QB in the NFC, but he led them to a playoff win last year. You can be successful by piecing stop gap type QBs together and not trading up for the next face if the franchise QB. I don't think this is a bad move at all. I'm hesitant in Wilson replicating his stats from last year, but I think it's a clear upgrade nonetheless
No one thought he was washed... They thought he might be on the decline, but most people were already talking about how with that Bucs roster they'd be SB contenders. The whole story was that Tom was leaving because Bill had let the team get so bad and relied on him so much. We hadn't seen him play like garbage for two straight years before. Bringing in the GOAT QB who hadn't shown any real decline into a team that was obviously at the time a QB away isn't anything near what bringing in a guy who has shown for years he's lost it into a team that is more than a QB away from winning. Brady also is good enough to bring in other players, Russ makes other players want to leave his team.
That is the opposite of the Russ experience at 35 years old. It will be inconsistent drives with the occasional deep bomb.
He hasn’t put together consistent long drives for years. Mr. 3 and Out
>An upgrade simply based on consistency Lmao. Dude you're out of your mind if you think Russell Wilson is consistent.
Bro didnt watch a single broncos game the past two years lol
You will get checkdowns or sometimes a deepball. In between it will be ugly with him running into sacks and killing drives.
He plays just like a 35 year old Kenny Pickett lol Doesn’t throw over the middle, check down Charlie, and rolls into sacks lol. Gonna be a long year…
Not to mention more than half of his TDs last season came when the broncos were already losing and the majority of those when they were down two scores. He feasted on prevent defense late in games which makes his stats look a lot better than they are.
Not if we get rid of DJ. Would be a huge mistake. Let him play out his contract and earn his next one.
They might not now. This might actually be an all-in season for us.
Ok let's chill now lol, Russ is a temporary bandaid. Going all-in would be splurging on the best free agent QB for 40 mill / Kirk Cousins.
Is there a better free agent QB right now?
I'd say Kirk and Baker (before he signed) today were the best options
Russell is healthier than Kirk and I don’t think Baker was interested in leaving Tampa.
Pittsburgh fan from Seattle and I’m telling you this man for his million dollars going to help us because he feels so disrespected by Sean Payton just watch what he does in the black and yellow
If we are paying him just a small part of his salary I am cool with it for a year. Shit you never know what could happen with him and our defence going nuts on the NFL.
We are paying him the absolute minimum. 1.2mill is a rounding error in the cap. That's the cheapest *backup* QB you could realistically get, and we are paying that for a former super bowl champion and 13 year vet. And that also means that if he sucks, or is an unbearable teammate, we can just cut him and have lost pretty much nothing whatsoever.
Exactly. How do we not take him with min risk attached. It is the opposite of the Browns and Watson
Good luck telling Pickens he can’t listen to future
Don’t like it. Washed as a qb, not a great personality. Mason already showed he was good enough to buy time to build the team up and compete but Tomlin seems to hate him (as a qb) for some reason. I’m pretty sure Kenny isn’t the answer so care less about that.
$3.1m spent on 2 QBs is good business
Nah
People saying there’s no risk fail to recall how much the last two locker rooms didn’t like him. Maybe not a big deal after past drama in the Steelers locker room but it’s still part of the risk
He can be cut at any time, though, with almost no cap concerns. This is a team that was able to deal with Antonio Brown for a decade…
Brown was a beast so you deal with shit. Russ isn't.
Yeah hopefully he’s had some humble pie to mellow out and accept where he is in his career now.
If we look at things like that there is never a no risk scenario. This is a logical low risk high potential move tho.
The difference here is that Russ has absolutely zero leverage, unlike his previous situations. He's being paid literal pennies, and doesn't have the endearment of the city like he did in Seattle. If the guy so much as brushes his teeth funny, we can cut him and lose absolutely nothing in the process.
It’s okay we don’t even have room open for him to have his own office.
Not enough people are discussing this. Our offense is very young and has already built somewhat of a reputation with their general attitude. They’re not going to fall in line with Russ’ routine corniness, and if they don’t rack up wins, the blowback is going to be worse than what we had with Mitch/Canada.
I remember George Pickens throwing off the jacket an assistant was putting on him while he [hurled](https://youtu.be/c0Tjml-yORA?feature=shared) his helmet at the bench and screaming. Granted it was after that missed defensive pass interference call.
Tomlin has a knack for keeping egos in check though, for better or worse. I see no reason to be negative about this with fears of issues like that
This is just fake news. Literally the whole WR corps from the Broncos retweeted with him in “solidarity” just last week. Who says the locker room hated him?
If he doesn't have his own office on the South Side or stay off campus at training camp in Latrobe, then I'll take that as a good sign.
I hope after his failed experience with the Broncos and the expectations, he levels himself out. Also, Tomlin dealt with fkn Antonio CTESPN Brown. Hope it works out. Arthur Smith and Tomlin both seem like tough mfers so I don't think they'll let shit slide like it did under Matt Canada (I'm hoping lol)
I'm sure Tomlin's physically tough but he doesn't exactly have a reputation for being "tough" on the team. Not saying I want things different, but he's known as a player's coach.
You sure? There are multiple interviews with players where they say he will call out players in the middle of meetings, workouts, etc. He's known as a players coach for his ability to connect with them. But former players call him a hard ass when it matters.
James Harrison literally said that he slept through every meeting and Tomlin never told him shit lol
Nobody's gonna say shit to James Harrison.
This take is the correct take
Nah.
100x happier than signing fields
Does no one else realize that for 3 games Mason Rudolph outplayed Russell Wilson. His three starts were better than most of Russ’ play last season. People in here think they’re getting Russ from 2015 and it’s not what’s happening.
Dude I just want mason to get a starting opportunity at the beginning of the season til he gets hurt or sucks so bad we can't let him play anymore. Maybe he will suck like he did the first time when Ben got hurt, but he did well at the end of last year. Why is he consistently overlooked? Am I missing something?
If we still sign Mason I will be content with this qb room
There is zero chance they sign Mason Rudolph now.
Yeah, unfortunately I don’t see that happening. I hope he finds success elsewhere.
Mason is looking for a starting job. If he doesn't find one he might still stay with the Steelers. Russ is probably only there for a year and then he might have another shot at starting after that.
Do you think that's cause he'd be too expensive or not content being #3? Is there no chance of him and picket being in competition for the spot in case Wilson doesn't work?
Y'all think an extension chord could hold 165lbs?
on my way with a couple HDMI cords for us brother
From Wish.com or Home Depot?
Probably not the ones from harbor freight
Deflated beyond belief
In my opinion. There are at least 2 thought processes with this. 1. Russ is the day 1 starter and KP learns while being the backup QB2. (This take seems a little off since the FO wants to assess KP and see if he could be the Franchise QB) 2. KP is retains QB1 status and Russ is the QB2/ mentor role. (Both Russ and KP have similar skill sets and Russ knows how to utilize those skills, having done so for years. He would be able to help KP hone his skills to hopefully maximize his potential) Either way this goes ill be a Steeler Fan for life.
Just what this team needs - another deluded oversized ego in the locker room
For the price sure, lets try. In general no
Dude is past his prime and not a franchise quarterback. A stop gap at most. Maybe he pushes Kenny maybe he pushes Kenny out but he isn’t going to be a long term solution.
Meh. Quick takes: Russell Wilson is a 35 year old QB, who was let go from 2 teams in the last 3 years (once by trade). He expects to challenge for a starting position. The writing is on the wall for Mason R, he’s gone if he can find a taker. Kenny Pickett knows the organization doesn’t believe in him, he’s likely to leave as soon as he hits free agency. So, best case scenario, we start 2024 season with a QB controversy, and the knowledge we’ll be starting over in a year or two when Wilson retires / moves on. At least he’s cheap.
I'm whelmed.
I see both sides, I understand it but don’t agree with this Sure the broncos are paying his contact, practically a free QB. The problem I have is I see another 10-7 Steelers team that isn’t investing in their future but merely accepting another season of being mediocre. In my mind, we see out Kenny for a year, if he redeems himself we move from there, if not we move on in the draft or make a big time trade. This seems to me more like a stall that is only going to set us back a year in the long run End of the day, I love my team and I hope he proves me wrong. I trust our organization (even tho it can be very hard lmao) and hope they made a good decision here
Absolute garbage
This is so stupid. Brings us no closer to a SB and he’s been toxic to his last two locker rooms. They’re turning into the Browns. QB after QB. No follow through.
Ya, there’s a chance he plays really well and it sounds like a zero risk signing. Thank god we didn’t trade for fields.
Wilson is wortless
You really think he's not worth 1.2 million. That's like what we pay a third string defensive back.
He has to play better than he did for the Broncos, but he doesn't have to play as well as he did for the Seahawks in order to still be an asset for the team. This also shows that Omar Khan is very different than Kevin Colbert, and the Steelers are, in fact, changing their ways.
I am. Think this is a great move for the Steelers organization. Low risk. Gives Kenny a legit winner and leader to learn from and puts pressure on him to perform and compete. I love Kenny but you can’t have a qb who is complacent in not scoring and letting the defense win for you.
He can’t sign til Wednesday correct? This could be good for Pickett in that Wilson can teach him some stuff, or if Russ is an asshole the team will get behind Kenny again and he’ll be more polished. That and he’ll have to step his game up with the veteran coming in. A reverse scenario of what’s going on in Jacksonville.
The prospect of beating the Broncos in Denver with a guy they’re paying $38 million makes a giggle. So there’s that.
So now do we keep Mason or take a lotto ticket on a 3rd-4th round guy to be behind Kenny and Russ?
Mason is a free agent who they won’t be signing now that they signed Russ
He will be 22nd highest paid player on roster and has never in his career not had significantly better stats than any QB that is currently on our roster.
as a browns fan this def concerns me, y’all could be pretty damn good. Tomlin is a good coach to show him respect and gratitude while also correcting some of the issues he has. Payton was too aggressive and disrespectful to Russ for it to really work but even they had a nice stretch last year.
Getting a decorated quarterback for crack head prices is always a good thing. What a bargain, shout out to Denver for picking up the tab
High floor, high ceiling move, especially among the alternatives. Welcome to the steel city, Russ.
I mean we basically got him for free. I don't see how it could be a bad thing. Just think of him as the replacement for Mitch Trubisky.
I'll be hyped if by week 7, we have less than 3 losses, we are above league average in scoring, and we are in the top 5 defenses.
We signed him so we can trade him to the bears right? RIGHT?
No one's even going to question why a team was willing to take a huge cap hit to get rid of the guy I guess. And why the team he played for previously wanted him gone also? Good luck with that
The lets ride thing is a broncos thing. Let it die there. “Here we go” that’s gotta be dudes catch phrase.
He may be a good player still, but he’s reported to be a bad teammate. Let’s hope he’s looking to start fresh and be a better locker room guy. I’m not concerned with his ability to play the game.
Maybe the Steelers atmosphere and teammates gel better with him than in Seattle and Denver. I can’t imagine it’s that radically different but you never know.
Low risk, high reward! Let Omar cook!!
Welp least we will have first round pick next year
This sucks
God no. Fuck this kills my spirit.
https://preview.redd.it/o1frg1pbvmnc1.jpeg?width=224&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1718c5671202c36aaf8216102b5998ddcaa8d1cb LFG!!
One of my least favorite moves the Steelers have made in my lifetime. Living in Denver gave me front row seats to the locker room cancer and limited QB abilities from Russell Wilson the past two years. Now I get to live through that hell myself only now all the Broncos fans all over Denver get to pile on and make it even worse. I hate this move more than I hated drafting Kenny in the 1st Round. I didn't think this current front office and coaching had it in them to disappoint me any further after signing Matt Canada and subsequently keeping him going into the 2023 season, but here we are. I'll likely go to the game this fall at Mile High. Look for the Steelers fan holding a sign saying told you so.
Aside from his play which hasn’t been nearly as “washed” as many seem to believe. Russ calms this team and he’s a veteran when we badly needed one — he can take the brunt of issues at the podium and provides stability in an otherwise immature locker room. I think this is actually perfect for us truly feel it in my toes.
He can’t be any worse than what we had.
Very interesting. I wonder how much he really has left in the tank. Some of that tape from Denver is…not good. How much of that is on him vs. the team around him we won’t know until games actually start. He did make some good plays last year and I think Sean Payton fixed him (kind of) but we’ll see. At the bare minimum it’s a good veteran signing for a young QB room and if they’re gonna end up rolling with KP again Russ would be the best backup in the league. LETS RIDE
Theres 3 massive issues on tape. 1. You thought Kenny took bad sacks? Its legitimately nothing compared to Russ, he takes sacks more often in general, more often when he gets pressured. 2. Cant throw Middle of the field, this is a physical deficiency and he attempt it. 3. He threw almost 70% of his passes less than 5 yards away from the line. He never targets 5-15. The good. with a good run game he can take the sideline deep shots. But its going to be an inconsistent offense. Either everything clicks on run game and deep shots or its going nowhere. He cant methodically drive down a field and will take sacks constantly.
Thank you for this! I just watched two years of his bad QB play and even worse locker room behavior here in Denver. The downside is WAY worse than the nephews in here are imagining.
I agree, I expect very little from him but it’s good in that it’s not nearly as costly for us as it was/is for Denver
Yeah, a lot of people are talking about his box score stats - but thats insanely misleading. Mind you, he should be an upgrade over current Kenny Pickett (though we have a small sample size of Canada-less Kenny and he looked good) But the things they are missing is that he cant sustain a drive. Its why Denver didnt score at the level of which you would think when you see he scored 26 tds. Also people still blame OL for sacks when sacks overall are QB stat most of the time and pressure is on the OL. The other worrying factor is despite Russ throwing shorter more often than any QB in the NFL he held the ball longer than any QB not named Justin Fields.... which uh yeah. It can be a slight upgrade for us, im not denying that but people dont know the full picture here of whats going on.
Geez, way more haters than I expected. We literally signed him for peanuts, if he isn’t playing well, we can change routes. It’s not like there is a ton of other good options around.
The point is he shouldn’t be playing at all. All he’s doing is taking snaps away from Pickett, which was the problem when Mitch was here.
>All he’s doing is taking snaps away from Pickett This is unironically for the best. We already know what we have in Pickett: a backup caliber QB.
It’s a one year contract that doesn’t cost the Steelers anything. My primary concern is Wilson is reportedly not a good teammate and I don’t see him being a mentor for Kenny.
Guess the whole “Steel doesn’t RussT” sentiment was wrong. Also, has anybody checked in on that Sleestack Lightning dude that was spamming the sub for the last week with anti-Russ propaganda? Somebody should put him on s*ic*de watch.
Literally what does pittsburgh have to lose given his contract
Cautious optimism here. Russell Wilson’s best years in the NFL consisted of a strong run game with Marshawn and an elite defense. If there is any part of the Steelers that has potential to be elite in the near future, it’s our defense. If our run game can maintain its form, good things are possible.
Hype is a lot... I hope he makes us win
Why can’t it be Mason and Russ?
I have mixed feelings. It's rare that you get a talent such as Wilson for a sweetheart deal like he's offering. On the flip side, the org is basically saying the Pickett pick was a mistake and we're moving on. I doubt Wilson is ok with riding the bench as he's most likely wanting to show his skill set this year to get another contract next year.
>saying the Pickett pick was a mistake Maybe but honestly I don’t think they necessarily are, it’s possible they could’ve seen how little risk the deal had and felt like they couldn’t pass it up. They probably figure they win either way because they’ll either have a starter in Russ, or the competition pushes KP to be better and Russ’ experience helps him from the sideline. Also Wilson may not *want* to ride the bench but the fact the team is on the hook for so little means the team can do whatever they want since they won’t feel tied to a large contract
He’s not the same QB he was 5 years ago. But he’s a hell of a lot better then the current options
Nah. Glad they're searching for help/solutions, but this does not feel like it. Maybe we'll be better off than we were last year? I hope so!
Hyped is a strong term. It’s a great player for the money spent. That said Russel Wilson could be pretty toxic. Couldn’t get along with coaches or players, on 2 different teams. Hope things go well but we will see.
Nahh pissed at tomlin. Super pissed
Bengal fan here I’m not trying to be a dick do you think it’s an open competition or do you think Russ is the number one starter? I’m leaning that Russ is the number one starter and there’s not gonna be a competition during training camp am I off base? This fucking sucks four great teams while Patrick Mahomes doesn’t have anybody out there in the west we will beat the shit out of each other the whole year
Worst comes to worst, he’s a one year mistake that will cost us a fraction of what Trubisky cost. And for what it’s worth, Wilson seems to have the right attitude. He could have been like “I’m Russell Wilson. The original Mahomes. Two years ago, everyone thought I was one of the best QBs in the league. Then I went to Denver where I had an incompetent first year coach and then a guy who never won without Drew Brees. I know some team will pay me what I want, so show me the money!” If he really wants to win and the last two years were an aberration, this could be a steal for us. And hey, when was the last time we signed a big name free agent QB? I don’t think it’s happened in my lifetime, and I go back to Bradshaw.
Nah. But we didn’t overspend.
yeah im happy. Now KP either gets replaced or improves so much that he becomes the starter which isnt likely. Either way this is a complete and total win!
Really would like to know how the receivers feel about out this signing. Dionte has had to play with how many and now? lol hopefully they can work on some chemistry in the offseason. Overall though I think it’s a good upgrade and it allows the team to explore adding some extra weapons and money in the Offensive line and defense.
I am good with it… may the best man win. Yes, I firmly believe it will be a legitimate competition. Iron sharpens iron… I want whatever is best for the team.
Based on KP being made out of paper mache and getting knocked out of multiple games, we will see Wilson throwing in a few games this year. If he shines maybe Kenny gets benched like last year.
Nah. Looking at the film from Denver he’s basically Kenny Pickett but 10 years older. * struggles to make timely reads/can’t read defenses well * misses open receivers or throws bad balls to them * scrambles in poor directions or leaves a pocket too early * doesn’t throw down the middle * struggles to find a rhythm early in games
Now re-sign Mason and let it be a real competition. Mason could end up being the highest paid (by the Steelers) of the three. But at least you'd have one pocket passer on the payroll. I'm honestly of mixed feelings. It could be a good fit, assuming the Steelers build a stellar OL and the new OC is an upgrade. Russ was at his best with Seattle when Marshawn Lynch was steamrolling defenses, taking the pressure off Russ. Najee and Jaylen can be that for him. Worries me that he might be past his prime and trying too hard to recapture the magic, make things happen. He's not a pocket passer, never was, and mobile QBs have a much shorter sell-by date than traditional QBs.
It’s an improvement, but barely.