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At this point, it seems like a foregone conclusion Russell Wilson won’t be playing for the Broncos when the NFL season gets underway later this year, and Chad Johnson claims he’s heard a rumor concerning the quarterback’s next destination.
The Denver Broncos obviously had pretty high hopes for Russell Wilson when they acquired the QB from the Seahawks in 2022, but he failed to live up to the expectations surrounding him when he arrived in the Mile High City.
While Nathaniel Hackett was painted as the primary scapegoat for the franchise’s woes during Wilson’s first season in Denver, he didn’t exactly experience a miraculous turnaround when Sean Payton was brought in to attempt to right the ship and was ultimately benched for the last two games of the season.
That decision was reportedly linked to some drama concerning the structure of his contract, as Wilson (understandably) declined to renegotiate the terms of his favorable deal. As things currently stand, it appears the Broncos are gearing up to cut their losses by cutting Wilson, a move that will likely transpire after June 1st (which will allow them to split his $85 million dead cap hit over two seasons).
It seems like the 35-year-old’s best days are behind him, but there are also plenty of NFL teams in need of a quarterback who would be willing to take a risk on the veteran.
According to what Chad Johnson had to say while chatting with Shannon Sharpe on the most recent episode of Nightcap, it sounds like the Pittsburgh Steelers may be gearing up to attempt to secure whatever remains of the QB’s talents, as the retired wide receiver said, “A little birdie told me…Russell Wilson’s coming on over to the Steelers.”
Kenny Pickett is still the presumed starter in Pittsburgh, and when you consider there’s speculation Mason Rudolph may be looking for a change of scenery after entering free agency, the Steelers could certainly do worse than Wilson when it comes to adding a seasoned backup.
You do have to wonder if Wilson will be willing to resign himself to that particular fate, but this will certainly be an intriguing situation to keep an eye on as the offseason progresses.