Radio Host Thinks Russell Wilson is Washed, Mason Rudolph is Better

Radio personality and Pittsburgh native Scott Ferrall doesn’t get why the Pittsburgh Steelers are interested in former Denver Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson. He thinks Wilson is washed. Overall, Ferrall has no idea what the Steelers are doing as an organization.

“Mason Rudolph is better than [Russell Wilson] now. I think he’s old, and he’s living on past glories, I really do. I have no idea what they see, and I still don’t know what they see in Art Smith. I don’t see — I don’t know what they’re doing in Pittsburgh,” Ferrall said on Ferrall Coast to Coast. “Everyone said that Omar Khan was this great talented GM, and I got to tell you, I got my druthers on old Omar.”

On yesterday's show @ScottFerrall said he doesn't get the Steelers interest in Russell Wilson

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— Ferrall on SportsGrid (@FerrallonGrid) March 8, 2024

Omar Khan has conducted only one draft and it was widely considered one of the best in the league, so I don’t know how Ferrall formed the opinion that Khan is an issue. Offensive tackle Broderick Jones, cornerback Joey Porter Jr. and nose tackle Keeanu Benton were all starters in their rookie seasons. Nick Herbig also showed promise as the No. 3 outside linebacker. The organization is also embracing analytics more under Khan compared to Kevin Colbert, who had an old-school scout background.

Ferrall’s opinion on Russell Wilson was more plausible, as is best days are certainly behind him. It’s also a view that’s shared by many in the media. Former Denver Broncos offensive lineman Mark Schlereth, who won two Super Bowls with the team in the late 1990s, has bluntly stated several times that Wilson is “garbage.”

“[Russell Wilson] threw the ball behind the line of scrimmage more than any other quarterback in the league last year. He took more time to throw the ball than everybody in the league other than Justin Fields. I think he completed 26% of his passes, intermediate range in the middle of the football field, which was dead last in the National Football League last year. So you can sit there and tell me that he played good and you can look at the numbers and tell me 26 and 8 is good and I will tell you it’s garbage. What I saw was garbage and I’m just letting you know how it is,” Schlereth said firmly on the Pat McAfee Show.

Rudolph is set to hit free agency after having a career-reviving 2023 season, in which he emerged as the best of the Steelers’ three quarterbacks despite spending most of the season third on the depth chart.

After Kenny Pickett was injured and Mitch Trubisky benched for ineffectiveness, Rudolph took the reins and didn’t give them back, leading the Steelers to three straight victories to close the 2023 season and lead the club back into the playoffs.

Rudolph finished with a career-best 74.3% completion percentage and 118 passer rating in the regular season. His three-game stretch to close 2023 was the best such run for a Steelers quarterback since Ben Roethlisberger’s elbow injury.

The Steelers have only one quarterback under contract for 2024 in Pickett after releasing Trubisky earlier this offseason.

Khan said at the NFL Combine that the team has expressed its desire for Rudolph to return, but cautioned that it appears the quarterback is likely to test the open market before making a commitment.

“I’ve been in communication with his representative and he knows we want him back,” Khan said. “We’ve told them we want him to be a part of this process. …

“He knows we want him back, we’ve had conversations. But it’s sort of just how the process goes. I can’t tell when the deal will get done, hopefully with us. But it’s just a process and I understand but we’d like to have him back.”