Joining Steelers was 'the place I wanted to be' for new quarterback Russell Wilson

Russell Wilson likened his first foray into free agency to his NFL introduction in 2012 when he interviewed with teams at the scouting combine.

This time, the difference was that, coming on the heels of a decorated 12-year pro career, Wilson got to choose his destination.

And he had his sights set on the Pittsburgh Steelers the entire time.

“I was fortunate to have several teams call,” Wilson said Friday at his introductory news conference, “but this is the place I wanted to be.”

Adorned in a black crew neck shirt and suit jacket that both matched his new team’s colors, the highest-profile free agent signee in Steelers history talked about the reasons he agreed to a one-year contract late Sunday night rather than drag out the free agent process.

After being informed by the Denver Broncos that he would be released after two disappointing seasons, Wilson didn’t waste time choosing the Steelers over the New York Giants, the other team he is known to have met with before the NFL’s legal tampering period began Monday. He didn’t bother to wait to see if any other suitors emerged.

“There were a few things that jumped off the board about the Pittsburgh Steelers,” Wilson said.

Wilson talked about the two games he played against the Steelers during his 10 seasons with the Seattle Seahawks, the atmosphere at Acrisure Stadium when he visited in 2019 and the positive reception he received when he returned a week ago to meet with owner Art Rooney II, general manager Omar Khan and coach Mike Tomlin.

“You come here, put your feet on the ground, go around the city and see the energy of the Pittsburgh Steelers and their fans,” he said. “Go by the stadium and see it. All of that was a big part of it.”

The Steelers put on quite the recruiting pitch to land Wilson, who is the only quarterback on the roster after Kenny Pickett was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles later Friday.

A FaceTime video with defensive captain Cameron Heyward turned into an hour-long conversation. Before he met with the Steelers in person, Wilson had a video chat with Tomlin and Khan.

“It was supposed to be 15-20 minutes,” Wilson said. “Next thing you know, it’s an hour and half later.”

That call was interrupted by one from All-Pro free safety Minkah Fitzpatrick.

“He said, ‘You like to compete ‘3,’ you like to win,’ ” Wilson said.

After agreeing to a deal that will cost the Steelers just $1.21 million — the Broncos are on the hook for the balance of his $39 million salary — Wilson reached out to All-Pro outside linebacker T.J. Watt. He also texted Pickett, his supposed competitor for the starting job until the Steelers removed that obstacle by sending Pickett to the Eagles.

Wilson met with the media before the Pickett deal was completed and sidestepped questions about competing for the job.

“Every day that you wake up, you look forward to helping the team win,” Wilson said. “That is my focus now. I’ve been fortunate to be in the league for a long time. I’ve had a lot of success and done some cool things, but there is more to do. That is where my head is at.”

Wilson said he plans to play another “five to seven” years. How he fares with the Steelers in 2024 will go a long way toward extending his career. He had 26 touchdown passes to just eight interceptions last season with the Broncos, yet he was benched for the final two games with Denver owning a 7-8 record.

Still, it was an improvement over his first year with the Broncos, when he was 4-11 as a starter and threw 11 interceptions and 16 touchdown passes. He attributed some of those struggles to a lat injury that nagged throughout the 2022 season.

“This past year, I felt like myself again,” Wilson said. “I can’t wait to put on the cleats and go after it.”

The Steelers’ decision to sign Wilson played a part in the organization luring Patrick Queen, the top inside linebacker in free agency, away from the Baltimore Ravens.

“When you’ve got a guy like that who’s known to win, he probably has a little chip on his shoulder,” Queen said. “My job is to come in and try to help him get the ball back to him and the offense, let them do their thing. If Russ plays like Russ, this team is scary.”