Russell Wilson officially signs with Pittsburgh Steelers: 'Fired up to wear the Black and Gold'
New look, new team. Russell Wilson officially became a Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback, Friday, after signing his new deal.
And he had a message for his new fans.
“What’s up, Steelers nation!” Wilson said. “Just signed baby. Fired up to wear the black and gold. Here we go.”
The Steelers off-season suddenly got a lot more interesting now that Wilson is with the team. As team officials noted, their new quarterback is one of only five active QBs in the NFL who have won a Super Bowl. The other four are Patrick Mahomes, Matthew Stafford, Aaron Rodgers and Joe Flacco.
So far, no one is predicting that the Steelers will be Super Bowl bound with Wilson under center. Mahomes still lives and works in the AFC, after all. However, Wilson will be a closely followed story for NFL fans as they watch to see whether he can resurrect his career.
Wilson, after demanding a trade from Seattle in 2022, Wilson’s star began to fade in Denver. He signed a huge contract with the Broncos, but then struggled under two different head coaches. Denver wanted Wilson to agree to rework his contract late last season. And when he declined to do so, coach Sean Payton benched Wilson for the final two games, then told him he would be released.
Wilson won 11 games in two seasons in Denver. He completed 63.3 percent of his passes, with 42 touchdowns and 19 interceptions. But when he was quarterbacking Seattle, he was one of the best in the NFL. He led the Seahawks to the playoffs in eight seasons.
The Steelers had issues at quarterback last season. Kenny Pickett, a first rounder from 2022, dealt with injuries. He even missed the final five games of the season. And for whatever reason, the offense rarely lived up to expectations. The Steelers fired offensive coordinator Matt Canada in November. Then Mike Tomlin brought in Arthur Smith, the former head coach of the Falcons, to run the offensive show for this season.
Wilson, 35, signed a one-year deal with the Steelers. He and Pickett are the only two quarterbacks on the roster. Mason Rudolph signed with the Titans. Pittsburgh released Mitch Trubisky. He then signed with the Buffalo Bills.