Russell Wilson's Revenge Contract Against the Broncos Could Be His Downfall
Taking the veteran minimum means the Steelers can bench him for Justin Fields without taking a hit.
Russell Wilson left the Denver Broncos with a bitter taste in his mouth. He wasn’t the team’s first choice; they hired former Packers OC Nathaniel Hackett as coach in order to pursue Aaron Rodgers. His teammates had a less-than-friendly relationship with him. In his second year, the Broncos threatened to bench him or force him to take a pay cut before finally benching him at the very end of the season. The whole situation from the trade to his release hurt his reputation.
But, luckily for Wilson, his contract was so favorably structured for him that the he was guaranteed $40 million this year, and the Broncos have to pay all of it minus what the Steelers pay. So he accepted a veteran minimum $1.21 million deal with Pittsburgh.
Wilson’s contract is $3.8 million less than former Broncos backup Drew Lock, part of the trade, is making in Seattle; $1.9 million less than Commanders backup Case Keenum; $1.66 million less than former Steelers backup Mason Rudolph is making now with the Titans—and, crucially, $3.5 million less than current Steelers backup Justin Fields is making.
That’s right. Because the Steelers were paying their prospective starter so little, they had the cap room to trade for another quarterback with starting experience. The Steelers traded a conditional 2025 sixth-round pick (that could become a fourth) to the Bears for Justin Fields, who is coming off the best passing season of his career.
Fields’ performance was still very questionable last season. He completed just 61.4% of his passes, a lower rate than Kenny Pickett and just higher than Zach Wilson. Russell Wilson completed 66.4% of his passing attempts. But Fields’ (74.6) and Wilson’s (77.5) overall PFF grades were not far apart.
Fields is much more athletic and dynamic in the rushing game. He is younger, and he has the potential to be a long-term starter if he continues to improve. Even if his passing accuracy remains sub-par, a competent offensive coordinator could plausibly design a successful offense around his rushing and deep ball abilities.
The pressure is on for Russell Wilson. He performed terribly in his first season in Denver, when he had to learn a new offense and get adjusted to a new team. So, if that is any indication, he may not be good at making transitions. Last season, Russ was relatively productive in terms of box score numbers, but a lot of that was empty calories. Wilson is the prospective starter. The job should be his to lose. But it won’t take much for him to lose the job.
The Steelers don’t have anything to lose if he doesn’t work out—and everything to gain if Fields does work out for them. If it happens, it wouldn’t be the first time Fields beat Russ.
Read Mitch’s analysis of the fantasy football impact of 2024 free agency moves in 2024 NFL Fantasy Football Free Agency Review: Third Edition.