Adam Schefter Thinks Russell Wilson Knows He’s the Starter in Pittsburgh

The Pittsburgh Steelers are going to label it as a quarterback competition between Russell Wilson and Kenny Pickett, but the odds of Pickett winning that battle are very unlikely. Wilson had a 26-8 touchdown-interception ratio and a 98.0 quarterback rating in 2023. In comparison, Pickett threw six touchdowns compared to four interceptions and posted a 81.4 passer rating last season.

Pickett has a 13-13 touchdown-interception ratio in 25 career games and the lowest touchdown percentage in NFL history (1.8%, minimum 500 pass attempts). The answer is clear. Unless something drastic happens, Wilson will be the starter. Of course, Wilson’s not the same player that he was during his Seattle tenure, but he’s still a nine-time Pro Bowler and a Super Bowl champion.

Following Wilson’s late-night announcement that he’s heading to the Steel City, Adam Schefter broke down the Steelers’ quarterback situation on Sportscenter, and he made it clear that Wilson is not coming to Pittsburgh to backup Pickett and hold a clipboard.

“Pittsburgh made it clear that it was bringing in competition for Kenny Pickett. And I think Russell Wilson doesn’t go anywhere that he doesn’t think that he isn’t gonna be the starter. Now, he’s gonna have to go earn it and he’s gonna have to play well,” Schefter told Scott Van Pelt. “But Russell Wilson is ultra-confident in his abilities and what he will bring to that franchise. You’re talking about a guy with nine Pro Bowls, who has won a Super Bowl. I don’t think that he thinks he’s going to Pittsburgh to backup Kenny Pickett. But, certainly, Kenny Pickett will have the opportunity to play well this summer and we’ll see how that goes.”

Wilson reportedly had an “exploratory” meeting with the New York Giants, but Schefter said the Steelers’ offensive weapons and scheme attracted him to Pittsburgh. Schefter also noted that Wilson met with the Steelers for over six hours on Friday. He met with, amongst others, Mike Tomlin and Arthur Smith.

According to Broncos insider Benjamin Allbright, other teams expressed interest in Wilson, but Pittsburgh was always the front-runner because of offensive coordinator Arthur Smith.

“While there were other teams interested in Russell Wilson, it was always going to be the Steelers. Internally, in Camp Russ there was a lot of good feeling about pairing Russ with Arthur Smith,” Allbright wrote on X.