Steelers Among Betting Favorites to Land Russell Wilson

The Pittsburgh Steelers are among the betting favorites to be the next team for Denver Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson, according to odds posted on Thursday by Sports Betting.

Wilson has been benched by the Broncos for the stretch run, after a contract dispute between him and the team over his contract guarantee for the 2025 season. Right now, that salary is guaranteed in case of injury, and the Broncos do not want to continue to play Wilson and risk an injury that might lock them into the veteran quarterback for two more years.

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 on the cusp of playoff elimination and he hasn’t come close to living up to his five-year, $243 million contract.

The Broncos will absorb a gigantic salary cap hit if they move on from Wilson, but they can minimize it if they release him with a post-June 1 designation. That would still deal them a $34 million dead cap charge over each the 2024 and 2025 seasons.

It’s even worse if the Broncos try to trade Wilson before June 1, so a release seems most likely, which could set him up to come to the Steelers in free agency.

The Steelers have 8/1 odds to be Wilson’s team in Week 1 of the 2024 season, according to odds posted by Bet Online on Thursday. That’s tied for the fifth-best odds. 

The Minnesota Vikings, who appear likely to lose Kirk Cousins to free agency, are the top team on the list, with 5/1 odds. They’re followed by the New England Patriots (6/1), Washington Commanders and Las Vegas Raiders (7/1) and then the Steelers, Chicago Bears, Atlanta Falcons and New York Giants at 8/1.

Of course, it remains to be seen if the Steelers will be in the quarterback market this offseason. Kenny Pickett and Mitch Trubisky are both under contract to the team for 2024. The Steelers have played three different quarterback and appear set to start Mason Rudolph for the second straight week this Sunday. They enter Week 17 at 27th in the league in passing.

RELATED: Mason Rudolph Draws Rave Reviews. Will It Last?

The Broncos will be playing backup Jarrett Stidham in a game that will matter to the Steelers’s playoff chances, but it’s not yet clear what they want to happen. 

If the Steelers beat the Seattle Seahawks, the Denver Broncos winning would help their postseason odds, because the Steelers can win a tie involving the Broncos. But if the Steelers lose to the Seahawks, they will want the Broncos to lose to avoid being passed.