ESPN NFL experts praise Steelers signing Russell Wilson as best bargain signing of free agency
Signing Russell Wilson, a nine−time Pro Bowler and a Super Bowl winning quarterback, for the league minimum made the Steelers the premium bargain shopper in NFL free agency.
It is not a stretch to say so. Fans are in agreement. And so are several experts with ESPN. The network discussed free agency and all its intricacies, from winners and losers to biggest surprises. The biggest bargain was the Steelers pick up of Wilson for the very cheap price of $1.2 million.
“The search for a franchise QB continues in Pittsburgh,” said Jordan Reid, an NFL Draft analyst for ESPN. “But for such a low cost, it’s impossible to argue with the team bringing in Wilson. The team also recently acquired Fields, but Wilson is expected to be the starter entering the season.”
The reason why the Steelers secured Wilson for such a cheap price was because of the Broncos. Denver still owes the quarterback $39 million this season. There still is a ton of baggage that comes with Wilson, including the fact he won only 11 games the past two seasons in Denver. But a one−year deal for $1.2 million made him a steal.
“From a financial perspective, it’s hard to argue with a deal in which the player’s new team is paying so much less than the former team,” said Stephania Bell, fantasy football analyst. “And it will be interesting to see what version of Wilson the Steelers can unlock. He might not move like he used to, but he can still throw the ball and the Steelers should be able to stretch the field in ways we haven’t recently seen.
“The addition of Justin Fields as backup, even if not a true threat to start, only helps incentivize Wilson to prove he still has something left in the tank.”
Speaking of deals, the Steelers also traded for Justin Fields. The former Bears starter will be in his fourth season of his rookie contract. He will earn $3.2 million this season. So the top two Steelers quarterbacks will cost about $4.5 million. Not a bad situation.
Jason Reid, who writes for Andscape, also named Wilson as the biggest bargain in free agency. Reid said “it’s easy to forget now, but Wilson once was a perennial Pro Bowler who seemed destined for enshrinement in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. And even if he’s merely competent under center, that would be much more than the Steelers have gotten from the position recently.”
And it was not all about Wilson. Jeremy Fowler named linebacker Patrick Queen as the best free agent signing in the league. The Ravens loss was the Steelers gain.
To read all the ESPN opinions, click it here.