Russell Wilson has quickly found a new team following his unceremonious release from the Denver Broncos, as the Super Bowl champion quarterback announced Sunday night he has agreed to sign with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
NFL.com reports that Wilson will sign a one-year contract with the Steelers for $1.2 million, the league minimum for a veteran player with 12 seasons of NFL experience. Wilson is already due nearly $38 million in guaranteed money on the ill-fated five-year, $245 million extension he signed with the Broncos before the start of the 2022 season.
Wilson declared his intentions in a post on social media platform X that read: "Year 13. Grateful. @Steelers,".
The Broncos informed Wilson of his release, which will officially take place when the new league year begins on Wednesday, last week.
Wilson joins a Steelers team that reached the play-offs last season with a 10-7 record despite instability at the quarterback position. Pittsburgh started three players - 2022 first-round pick Kenny Pickett and veterans Mason Rudolph and Mitch Trubisky - under center, with Pickett the only member of that group still under contract.
Pickett lost his starting job in December to Rudolph, who proceeded to win his three late-season starts to get the Steelers into the post-season, where they were dealt a 31-17 loss to the Buffalo Bills in the opening round.
Denver acquired Wilson from the Seattle Seahawks in March 2022 in a blockbuster trade, though the nine-time Pro Bowler was never able to bring the same success to the Broncos as he did during a highly successful 10-year run in Seattle. The Broncos went 11-19 in Wilson's 30 starts and unofficially announced their intentions to move on when they benched the 35-year-old for the final two games of 2023 in order to avoid an injury that would guarantee his 2025 salary.
Wilson did put up solid numbers despite Denver's 2023 struggles, as he threw for 3,070 yards with 26 touchdowns and a 98.0 passer rating while being intercepted just eight times in 15 starts.
The charismatic quarterback accomplished far more during his long tenure in Seattle, helping the Seahawks to eight post-season appearances highlighted by a victory over the Broncos in Super Bowl XLVIII during the 2013 campaign. Wilson compiled a 104-53-1 regular-season record and went 9-7 in the playoffs with the Seahawks while amassing 4,000 passing yards in a season four times.