The Pittsburgh Steelers transformed their quarterback situation from one of the most dull and inefficient in the NFL to one of the most intriguing almost overnight.
Last season, the team saw Kenny Pickett, who led an 80-yard game-winning drive against the rival Baltimore Ravens on January 1, regress as the new season unfolded. By New Year’s Eve, Mason Rudolph was starting at quarterback.
An ankle injury was the official reason for Pickett not playing (Pickett declared himself healthy enough to play), but Rudolph produced a better statistical game in his lone start than Pickett has at any point in his two-season career.
It became obvious the Pittsburgh Steelers former first-round pick wasn’t going to be the franchise QB the team has been desperately seeking since Ben Rothlisberger retired.
After a rookie debut that showed promise in 2022, Pickett ranked near the bottom of the list of the league’s starting quarterbacks in completion percentage (62.0%), passer rating (81.4), QBR (38.4) and touchdown passes (six), as well as in passing yards per game (172.5), per attempt (6.4) and per completion (10.3).
But in the end, the Steelers brass knew Pickett wasn’t going to be their franchise QB, and while it initially felt like they would keep him as a backup after signing Russell Wilson, Pickett was reportedly vocal about his frustration over the move to replace him and ended up getting traded to the Philadelphia Eagles.
As soon as the Pittsburgh Steelers landed Wilson — who was ousted by the Denver Broncos and benched over an injury clause despite putting up decent numbers in 2023 — it was assumed he would be the starting QB for the black and gold in 2024.
The 9-time Pro Bowl QB and Super Bowl Champion threw for 3,060 yards, 26 touchdowns and 8 interceptions for the Broncos last season. He showed that he still has dual-threat ability and rushed for another 341 yards and three scores on the ground.
After staring with an (1-5) record last season, Wilson helped lead the Broncos to wins in 6 of their next 8 games, with victories over four playoff teams (Chiefs, Packers, Bills, Browns) in that span.
Still, despite owing him a massive chunk of guaranteed dead money, Denver released Wilson on March 13, and after considering a few different suitors, he signed in Pittsburgh.
