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Russell Wilson appears to be far and away the clubhouse leader for the Pittsburgh Steelers’ starting quarterback job.
Mark Kaboly of The Athletic reported Wilson “did nothing through 12 practices to even slightly indicate he could lose the quarterback competition to Justin Fields” during OTAs and minicamp.
Wilson, who signed a one-year contract for the veteran’s minimum this offseason, has widely been expected to be the starter in 2024. The future Hall of Famer is being paid $38 million by the Denver Broncos this season after being released by the team in March, giving the Steelers a chance to pounce and revamp their quarterback room.
Both Wilson and Fields were acquired in extreme buy-low circumstances. Wilson was coming off a dreadful two-year stint in Denver, leading the Broncos to take an $85 million dead cap hit to move on.
The Chicago Bears essentially gave Fields away via trade, acquiring only a conditional sixth-round pick to pave the way for Caleb Williams to take over under center. Pittsburgh declined the fifth-year option in Fields’ contract, meaning both he and Wilson will be free agents next offseason.
Wilson appears motivated to show his stint in Denver was merely a bad fit rather than him falling off as a player. Before struggling with the Broncos, the 35-year-old had four straight seasons with a passer rating above 100.
While he won’t be surrounded with an elite supporting cast in Pittsburgh, it’s hard to imagine him not showing improvement. He’s still relatively young for a quarterback and has elite downfield throwing power.
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