Tag: Russell Wilson

Steelers planning to pass on fifth-year option for QB Justin Fields

Justin Fields is not expected to get his fifth-year option with Pittsburgh.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Pittsburgh Steelers are not expected to pick up the fifth-year option on newly-acquired quarterback Justin Fields. If the Steelers did this, they would be on the hook for more than $25 million in 2025 just to pay Fields.

Trading for Fields was the second most exciting quarterback addition of the Steelers offseason. After completely gutting the quarterback depth chart, the Steelers went out and signed veteran Russell Wilson to be the starter and then pulled off the trade with the Chicago Bears to land Fields.

This news means all three of the Steelers current quarterbacks are playing out the final years of their contracts in 2024. Some have said this is a prove-it year for Fields but short of a catastrophic injury to Wilson, Fields isn’t likely to see the field. This muddies up his value and future with the team.

Pittsburgh also has until the May 2 deadline to decide about the fifth-year option for starting running back Najee Harris.

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NFL draft: Why beefing up Steelers offensive line is critical for Russell Wilson

That trademark mobility that Russell Wilson displayed early in his career, allowing him to maneuver around in the pocket, is no longer prevalent. 

Like you and me, Russell Wilson isn’t getting any younger. That trademark mobility that Wilson displayed early in his career, allowing him to maneuver around in the pocket, is no longer prevalent.

The Pittsburgh Steelers are without a starting-caliber center and have a subpar tackle in Dan Moore Jr.

These issues need to be addressed in the draft this week or it could be a rough season for the 12-year veteran.

Wilson has absorbed 100 sacks over the last two years. With 527 career sacks, Wilson is fourth behind Tom Brady, Ben Roethlisberger and Aaron Rodgers. Considering the beating he’s taken over his career, he was impressively durable. Wilson went nine seasons without missing a game. Since then, he’s missed five games due to injury, the latest being a concussion in 2022.

Let’s hope for Wilson’s sake that the Steelers don’t delay drafting a center and tackle.

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Can Steelers HC Mike Tomlin keep Russell Wilson in check?

Russell Wilson came to the Steelers with a diva quarterback moniker.

Quarterback Russell Wilson came to the Pittsburgh Steelers last month with some baggage. He was no longer the team-first kind of guy that the Seattle Seahawks drafted a dozen years ago.

Wilson changed after his marriage to pop star Ciara, as evidenced by his contractural demand for a personal office (on the second floor with coaches and executives) and the use of his own private quarterbacks coach. There was even a report, which Wilson has denied, that he tried to get future Hall of Fame head coach Pete Carroll and general manager John Schneider fired in 2022.

All of this is old news but perhaps new to Steelers fans, who are exclusive to their team and were unaware of Wilson’s diva-like tendencies.

“There’s a lot to Russ,” Ian Furness of KJR Radio and Fox-13 in Seattle told TribLive’s Tim Benz in March. Furness covered Wilson for his decade-long career with the Seahawks.

“A lot of things started to change when that happened,” Furness said when referencing Wilson’s 2016 marriage to Ciara. “He kind of became a ‘Look at me guy.’ We used to joke out here, it used to be their saying was, ‘Why not us?’ Then it became ‘Look at me,’ for Russ. He just changed, and he became a problem inside the facility, with the front office and with the staff. It just snowballed from there before they traded him.”

“He operated on his own agenda. And it was about Russ. In the ultimate team sport, it was all about Russ — to the point the ‘diva quarterback’ moniker was placed on him. And for good reason.”

Perhaps his ill-fated seasons in Denver humbled him, and it’ll be new city, new Russell. If not, though, how will Mike Tomlin handle him? Can Tomlin keep him in check?

Tomlin has juggled his fair share of strong personalities in Pittsburgh. While they are different scenarios, he somehow kept Antonio Brown‘s extreme ways under wraps until it all came crashing to the surface. Most recently, George Pickens‘ character issues have come into question.

Tomlin has an innate ability to connect with his players and that process has begun with Wilson. Let’s hope, for the sake of the Steelers, that he doesn’t become a bigger-than-the-team nuisance.

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2024 NFL draft: Steelers open to taking a quarterback

WIth three rental quarterbacks on the roster, the team could draft a new signal caller this year.

In our latest Pittsburgh Steelers mock draft, we speculated that the Steelers could trade newly-acquired quarterback Justin Fields in a draft-day deal with the Denver Broncos to help build this team up at other spots.

For some, this might seem far-fetched but after listening to general manager Omar Khan speak to the media on Monday, this might not be such a stretch after all.

Khan was honest about the potential future of Fields with the team and that the team is open to the idea of drafting a quarterback in the 2024 NFL draft.

“There’s some good players there, and I wouldn’t close the door on anything,” Khan said. “There’s an opportunity to improve that room. Obviously, we’ll look at it. We have three guys that are on one-year deals and we have to be open to it.”

The Steelers are unlikely to give Fields his fifth-year option, especially given they also need to decide on running back Najee Harris as well as the fact that Russell Wilson is the starting quarterback this season.

We are all for the Steelers adding a quarterback in the second or third round this year even if they don’t trade away Fields. Poor planning by the Steelers toward the end of Ben Roethlisberger’s career has been haunting them so we are glad to hear them thinking more proactively.

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Broncos trade late-round pick to Jets for QB Zach Wilson

The Broncos are trading a 6th-round pick to the Jets in exchange for QB Zach Wilson and a 7th-round pick.

The Denver Broncos have agreed to trade a sixth-round draft pick (No. 203) to the New York Jets in exchange for quarterback Zach Wilson and a seventh-round pick (No. 256), according to a report from NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

The compensation makes it a low-risk move for the Broncos. At worst, they got a backup quarterback by dropping from the sixth to the seventh round. At best, they got a young quarterback who still has potential to improve.

Wilson (6-2, 214 pounds) entered the league as the second overall pick out of BYU in the 2021 NFL draft. He started 33 games in New York, completing 57% of his passes for 6,293 yards 23 touchdowns against 25 interceptions. The Jets will now move forward with Aaron Rodgers.

Wilson is entering the fourth and final year of his rookie contract. Before the trade, he was set to have a salary cap hit of $11.18 million in 2024. The Jets agreed to split his guaranteed camp roster bonus ($4.39 million), according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. It remains to be seen how all of the financial details will break down, but Denver won’t have to pay all of the QB’s contract.

Wilson (24) will join a Broncos quarterback room that already features Jarrett Stidham and Ben DiNucci. Denver coach Sean Payton said earlier this offseason that Stidham will get an opportunity to compete for the starting job this summer.

It remains to be seen if the Broncos will still select a rookie quarterback in the NFL draft later this week. Denver holds eight draft picks, including the 12th overall pick in the first round on Thursday evening.

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Sean Payton comments on QB height ahead of NFL draft

“I think oftentimes, these guys are seeing through lanes, not necessarily over them,” Broncos coach Sean Payton said of short quarterbacks.

As the Denver Broncos and coach Sean Payton prepare for the 2024 NFL draft, the heights of quarterbacks in this year’s class is one of the many measurements the team will discuss on draft night.

The top quarterback prospects are Caleb Williams (6-1), Jayden Daniels (6-4), Drake Maye (6-4), J.J. McCarthy (6-3), Bo Nix (6-2), Michael Penix (6-3), Spencer Rattler (6-1) and Michael Pratt (6-3).

All of them are notably taller than Russell Wilson (5-11), who played under Payton last year, and Drew Brees (6-0), who won a Super Bowl with Payton.

“Quarterbacks who are not as tall and are not the prototype — generally speaking, it may vary depending on how teams value prototype heights, but 6-2 may be a starting point,” Payton said in February. “As a coordinator, I had Kerry Collins, who was 6-5, Quincy Carter [6-2], who was built differently, [Tony] Romo [6-2], [Drew] Bledsoe [6-5], [Vinnie] Testaverde [6-5] and then Drew [Brees] for a long time.

“There was an evolution with Drew. I don’t know that we set out to go in a direction relative to the makeup of our offensive line, but he was someone that was extremely athletic in the pocket. He was a very good foot athlete.”

Payton said the Saints had two “really good guards” in Jahri Evans and Carl Nicks who helped Brees climb the pocket and find throwing lanes. Payton has coached QBs of various heights and he knows how to help create throwing those lanes.

Whether the Broncos land a tall quarterback or a shorter prospect, Payton said it’s Denver’s job to set them up for success.

“I do think part of our jobs is to build around the strength of your players,” Payton said. “Even this year, what are the things that we feel like our receivers do well, that ‘Russ’ does well and that the running backs [do well]? That’s our job. And so our offense — and when I say our, [I mean] wherever I’ve been — it has been kind of an evolution of starting with the ingredients we have then building around them. So I think there’s still some things that are paramount today.

“At some point, teams are going to make you win from the pocket. We can rush a certain way to keep a quarterback from escaping. We’re going to have to be — wherever you’re at — proficient enough on third down to take a snap, find a throw and protect that spot that you’re referencing, regardless of height. I think oftentimes, these guys are seeing through lanes, not necessarily over them. Certainly for some quarterbacks, that can be a little bit more challenging.”

The first round of the NFL draft will be held in Detroit on Thursday evening. The Broncos hold eight picks this year, including No. 12 overall.

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Broncos WR Courtland Sutton fails to report for voluntary workouts

Courtland Sutton might be the answer to the Steelers’ wide receiver problems.

As of now, the Pittsburgh Steelers still have multiple positions of need, including a starting wide receiver and starting center. Pittsburgh hasn’t shown much interest in any centers but the front office has been very active when it comes to wide receivers.

With the news that Denver Broncos wide receiver Courtland Sutton isn’t attending workouts, it got us thinking about how great he would fit if the Steelers traded for him.

Sutton spent the last two seasons catching passes from new Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson and was one of his favorite targets. Sutton caught 10 touchdown passes last season and still has plenty of game left in him to start opposite George Pickens.

The Steelers signed Van Jefferson, Quez Watkins and Cordarrelle Patterson in free agency after trading away Diontae Johnson, but none of them inspire confidence for the present, much less the future.

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Grade the Steelers 2024 offseason ahead of the 2024 NFL draft

Cast your vote and tell us how you thnk the Steelers have done so far this offseason.

2024 has been one of the busiest and most interesting offseasons in the history of the Pittsburgh Steelers. General Manager Omar Khan continues to be aggressive, wheeling and dealing to rebuild several positional units. The highlights have centered on the team going from Kenny Pickett, Mason Rudolph and Mitch Trubisky to Russell Wilson, Justin Fields and Kyle Allen as the new quarterback depth chart.

Having said all that, Pittsburgh is 10 days away from the 2024 NFL draft with several starting spots unsettled. The team currently needs a starting center and wide receiver as well as an upgrade at offensive tackle and possibly cornerback.

It is hard to imagine the draft is going to yield every position the Steelers need and there will need to be more work done heading into offseason workouts and training camp.

But as of now, what grade do you give Khan and the Steelers front office for everything they have done prior to the draft?

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Colin Cowherd says he’s been told the Commanders are taking Jayden Daniels

And tomorrow he will say it’s Drake Maye.

Another day, another prediction for LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels to the Washington Commanders in the 2024 NFL draft.

On Monday’s edition of “The Herd,” Colin Cowherd said he’s been told the Commanders are taking Daniels with the second overall pick in this month’s NFL draft.

“Alright, I have been told the Washington Commanders, right now, as of today, would choose Jayden Daniels, LSU quarterback, as their top pick,” Cowherd said.

“In going back and forth, I’m told they believe he’s more consistent than Drake Maye. He is quicker, more mobile than Drake Maye. And offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury, who will have some say in this, has had multiple quarterbacks in his college and pro coaching career that play like him. Quarterbacks like Jayden Daniels are important; they are very hypermobile, and that matters a lot. Russell Wilson, Kyler Murray, Lamar Jackson, as you’re trying to figure out the sophisticated NFL pocket, and all it asks, it gives you a couple of years to pick up first downs and move the sticks with your feet. Even Patrick Mahomes acknowledged the light didn’t truly go on until year three. But the ability to move, Washington has a bad offensive line, pick up first downs with those feet as you’re learning the game is important.”

Cowherd goes on and on about why Daniels should be the pick. But wait, I thought you were told he was the pick? So, were you told he was the pick, or are you saying that’s who Washington should pick?

Cowherd repeats himself multiple times in the segment, which you can view below.

So, unless Washington general manager Adam Peters told Cowherd that Daniels was the pick, this is another case of someone throwing something against the wall, hoping it sticks.

 

How much better off are the Steelers with QBs Russell Wilson, Justin Fields?

The Steelers 2024 season will look vastly different than it has in years past.

This coming season will look vastly different for the Pittsburgh Steelers — even more so than it did the season after Ben Roethlisberger retired.

After firing Matt Canada and replacing him with Arthur Smith, Pittsburgh completely dismantled its quarterback room this offseason. Everyone was out: First, Mitch Trubisky, then Mason Rudolph and Kenny Pickett. They were replaced by two guys on opposite ends of the spectrum in nine-time Pro Bowler and Super Bowl champion Russell Wilson and work-in-progress Justin Fields.

Will the Steelers be better off from a record standpoint merely because they upgraded at the quarterback position?

The Athletic’s Mark Kaboly doesn’t believe it’s as simple as that.

“Some look at the 10 wins last year and just automatically say it can be 12 in 2024,” Kaboly wrote in a recent mailbag. “But what about the games they won that they easily could have lost? Cleveland, Baltimore, Green Bay and Tennessee are four games off the top of my head that the Steelers easily could have lost.”

Except for the Week 16 win over the Cincinnati Bengals, each of Pittsburgh’s 10 wins was by a touchdown or less.

Of course, as key as quarterback play is, football is a team sport, and any number of aspects can determine the outcome.

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