During the 2024 offseason, the Pittsburgh Steelers totally renovated their quarterback room. After trading for Kenny Pickett, they signed Russell Wilson to a one-year contract. They then made a trade for Justin Feilds following all of that. Russell Wilson’s position among the starting NFL quarterbacks is shown here.
Russell Wilson
Russell Wilson, a former quarterback with the Broncos, inked a contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers on March 10. In 2022, Wilson inked a huge deal costing up to $245 million with the Denver Broncos. The Broncos fired Wilson and took on the largest dead cap hit in franchise history after struggling in the previous two years and signing Sean Payton. Wilson became a free agent as a result, open to signing with any team. This brought him to Pittsburgh, where he agreed to a one-year, $1.2 million contract to start quarterback for the Steelers.
Now, the question is: among starter quarterbacks, where does Russell Wilson stand? Wilson recorded over 3,000 yards and 26 touchdowns with just eight interceptions in the previous campaign. With a touchdown-to-interception ratio of 3.25 to 1, he had one of the greatest in the NFL.
Where Does He Rank?
Wilson was rated 20th out of the 32 primary starting quarterbacks by NFL.com at the conclusion of the 2023 campaign. Russell Wilson appears to be a very solid starting quarterback, which should already place him in the top 20. That would put him ahead of someone like Will Levis, Gardner Minshew, and Jacoby Brissett. Russ should be able to outperform players like Bryce Young and Daniel Jones with the Steelers’ weapons, securing his place in the top 20.
Top ten?
With quarterbacks like Mahomes, Allen, and Lamar Jackson as well as young guns like CJ Stroud and Jordan Love, the odds are stacked against Wilson ranking among the top 10. He could be able to slip in, though, if he has a fantastic 2024 season. For now, though, he is looking in.
Russell Wilson would fall between 10 and 20 in this range. The quarterbacks Brock Purdy, Baker Mayfield, Trevor Lawrence, and Tua Tagovailoa are also in this range above Wilson. Wilson is only surpassed by players like Derek Carr and Geno Smith. This places him in the range of the top 15–18 NFL starting quarterbacks. Jared Goff and Kyler Murray, who are younger and have greater upside than Wilson, are in this tier and are both extremely similar to him.
Wilson now occupies the 17th position, which is his proper place. It’s in the tail end of the pack, but he’s still a capable starting quarterback. There are several unanswered questions regarding Wilson’s performance in 2024. With a track record of making plays and MVP potential, he might be a very good quarterback. Sadly, at 35, he is entering a new system where he might not succeed and might even regress.
Kenny Pickett also came in at number 27 in the NFL.com quarterback rankings. Wilson is therefore a huge improvement for Pittsburgh. Wilson provides the Steelers, for the first time since Ben Rothlisberger, with an NFL starting quarterback rated in the top 20 with top-10 upside.