The Pittsburgh Steelers' vision for the 2024 season was made clear early on in the 2024 offseason. Shortly after losing a Wild Card contest to the Buffalo Bills, the organization released quarterback Mitchell Trubisky. Less than two months passed before Super Bowl-winning signal-caller Russell Wilson ended up signing, while 2022 first-round pick Kenny Pickett saw himself get traded to the Philadelphia Eagles. Justin Fields was traded for in a shocking move and Mason Rudolph moved on, signing with the Tennessee Titans in free agency. All of this led to a complete overhaul of Pittsburgh's quarterback room, which was absolutely needed.
The focus in the Steel City has to be on Wilson, as the veteran should be the starter come Week 1 of the regular season, regardless of what the national media wants to throw out into the ears of football fans. He is playing on the minimum for a player of his tenure, which makes the signing extremely low-risk for the Steelers. Unfortunately, many have doubts, based on how Wilson's tenure with the Denver Broncos went.
Denver's current quarterback situation is in limbo, with 2024 first-round pick Bo Nix and former New York Jets first-rounder Zach Wilson listed as the top two signal-callers on the roster. Despite the uncertainty, Nick Kosmider, a Broncos beat writer for The Athletic, noted in a social media post that the team is much better off at this point in 2024 than it was an offseason ago with Wilson as the top quarterback.
While the Steelers' new starting quarterback wasn't mentioned by name, the most important position on offense, and in professional football in general, is the one that leads the charge to score points. An in-touch insider commenting specifically that the Broncos offense looks great is a testament to how Head Coach Sean Payton is feeling during Organized Team Activities (OTAs).
Fresh starts are important in professional sports and it's possible that both Wilson and Payton will have more success in 2024 compared to their lone season together in Denver. Overall, it does seem a bit disrespectful to Wilson for anyone to say the Broncos offense looks better now with not a single proven quarterback on the roster compared to a Super Bowl champion leading the way.
Wilson threw for 42 touchdowns and 19 touchdowns with the Broncos, but was much better in 2023 with Payton as his head coach. He tossed the pigskin for 26 scores, while only giving away eight interceptions. Regardless, the marriage wasn't meant to be and Wilson was benched at the end of the season. One thing led to another, an the Broncos will pay Wilson a boatload of money while the Steelers give him the veteran minimum in the hope that he can return to elite form.
There are still many questions that need to be answered when it comes to Wilson and Pittsburgh, but he has a lot of people to prove wrong in Denver. It's clear, based on Kosmider's reporting, that no one in the Mile-High City is missing Wilson.
Steelers Still Looking To Replace Ben Roethlisberger
Pittsburgh's offense hasn't been the same since Ben Roethlisberger retired. Wilson is likely nearing the end of his career, but will get the chance to earn one final contract on a single-year prove it deal in the Steel City. Fields could also step in at any point and earn the job, but nothing is set in stone past 2024. One thing is for sure however, and that is the fact that Wilson is hungry to prove to the NFL world that he can still perform at a high level, win, and compete for a championship.
