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Browns Look Like the Favorites to Land Russell Wilson
As the NFL quarterback carousel continues to spin, the Cleveland Browns might be the favorite to land Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson in free agency, which would assure the Browns of starting at least one former Steelers player against them in 2025.
Wilson has taken free agent visits to the New York Giants and the Browns, but left both without a contract. He’s also theoretically still in the mix to return to Pittsburgh, but it’s clear the Steelers are making their pursuit of Aaron Rodgers their priority, after previously doing the same with Justin Fields, making Wilson an afterthought at best.
The Giants are also in the Rodgers sweepstakes, though much like the Steelers and Wilson, it’s been clear that they are not the preferred options. They’ve reportedly been offering more money than the Steelers for weeks, but haven’t even gotten a visit from Rodgers like the Steelers did on Friday.
The Giants signed former Browns starter Jameis Winston to give them some protection in case Rodgers decides to sign elsewhere. The Browns also have some protection, trading for former Steelers starter Kenny Pickett from the Philadelphia Eagles.
“The Browns still have interest in Russell Wilson,” ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported on Friday. “They’re still pursuing that angle, but they have Carson Wentz as a contingency plan.”
Both the Browns and the Giants also have high draft picks, sitting at second and third in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Wilson will almost certainly be waiting for Rodgers to make a decision to sign, and he might be waiting until after the draft, as well. With two quarterbacks considered draftable in the top half of the first round in Miami’s Cam Ward and Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders, and three quarterback-needy teams between the No. 1 overall Tennessee Titans, Browns and Giants, someone won’t get one.
If the Steelers get Rudolph, as seems increasingly likely, the other team without a quarterback could end up adding Wilson to Winston or Pickett.
The Browns are famous for having run through dozens of quarterbacks since returning to the NFL in 1999, but Cleveland hasn’t started a former Steelers quarterback since Bill Nelsen retired at the end of the 1972 season.
With Pickett and potentially Wilson in the fold, that could be a streak that will be snapped in 2025.