Russell Wilson finds a new home on the eve of NFL free agency
Russell Wilson has found a new home and is staying in the AFC.
The veteran quarterback is going to sign with the Pittsburgh Steelers following being released by the Denver Broncos, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Wilson is expected to receive the veteran’s minimum of $1.21 million while the Broncos are paying the remainder of his $39 million salary.
The addition of Wilson gives the Steelers a veteran presence in the quarterback room alongside Kenny Pickett next season.
The deal makes sense for the Steelers to quickly lock up Wilson on a bargain before other teams could potentially jump into his sweepstakes.
Wilson is expected to get to work with wideouts Diontae Johnson and George Pickens and start to learn first-year offensive coordinator Arthur Smith’s scheme and playbook.
The move to add Wilson is interesting on the Steelers end after general manager Omar Khan telling reporters at the NFL scouting combine last month that he has “full faith in Kenny.”
“We’ll have some strong competition there” at quarterback, Khan said, “and we’ll see where it goes.”
Wilson was released by the Broncos after a failed two seasons in Denver. The 35-year-old played in 30 games and went 11-19 while never reaching the playoffs. With his release, Denver will suffer a $85 million dead-cap hit that will be split over the next two seasons.
