The Pittsburgh Steelers and Russell Wilson have become a supreme topic of speculation not just in Pittsburgh but nationally. It makes sense. A former Super Bowl champion comes to the Steelers and can help them get over the top. But that ignores Wilson’s poor play over the last two seasons in the Mile High City, but many former players see it as a natural fit.
Chad Johnson is the latest former player to say that Wilson and the Steelers should link up to help each other contend for a Super Bowl.
“If you’re serious, obviously with Mike Tomlin getting an extension, Russell Wilson is out on the market,” Johnson said on the Nightcap Podcast. “He is the one you need to get. I think the pairing of Russell Wilson with that offense, Diontae Johnson, Najee Harris, I think they will be on fire. Perfect. Playoff coach, playoff quarterback, Super Bowl coach, Super Bowl quarterback. Man, George Pickens is going to love that. It just makes too much sense to pass up an opportunity like that if you’re serious about contending in the AFC North.”
He’s not the only person to speculate that the Steelers should go after Wilson. David Carr believes they should look to get him, too.
Denver is just two seasons removed from trading for Wilson. The Broncos sent two first-round picks, two second-round picks, a fifth-round pick, quarterback Drew Lock, defensive lineman Shelby Harris and tight end Noah Fant to the Seahawks for Wilson on March 16, 2022.
A Super Bowl champion and nine-time Pro Bowler with the Seahawks, Wilson has struggled in Denver. He posted an 84.4 passer rating in 2022, which was by far the lowest mark of his career, and was sacked a league-high 55 times.
The Broncos fired head coach Nathaniel Hackett after just one season, trading more draft picks for former New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton this past offseason, and Wilson has been better with a 98 passer rating in 15 games this season.
But he hasn’t prevented the Broncos from being eliminated from the playoffs and Wilson hasn’t come close to living up to his five-year, $243 million contract.