Reports: QB Russell Wilson agrees to sign with Steelers in free agency

Soon-to-be free agent quarterback Russell Wilson has indicated on social media that he plans to sign with the Pittsburgh Steelers once the NFL calendar year begins on Wednesday.

On Wilson’s X account, formerly known as Twitter, he posted a 50-second video late Sunday night that showed Steelers highlights to the Styx song “Renegade,” the team’s long-time unofficial anthem.

ESPN reported, citing an unidentified league source, that Wilson has decided to sign with the Steelers on a one-year contract. NFL Network also reported Wilson will join the Steelers, who have only third-year quarterback Kenny Pickett under contract.

Year 13. Grateful. @Steelers pic.twitter.com/0U4Q2sRtXs

— Russell Wilson (@DangeRussWilson) March 11, 2024

Wilson held a lengthy meeting with Steelers officials Friday at UPMC Rooney Sports Complex. Teams can’t officially begin negotiating with outside free agents until Monday at noon, but the Denver Broncos gave Wilson permission to find a new employer after they informed him he would be released after two seasons in the Mile High City.

A nine-time Pro Bowl player and former Super Bowl champion, Wilson is owed about $38 million by the Broncos, who will incur an $85 million salary cap hit over the next two seasons by releasing the 35-year-old quarterback. The deal with the Steelers is expected to be for the NFL veteran minimum of about $1.2 million.

Coach Mike Tomlin said after the season that Pickett would enter training camp as the starter, but added that he would face competition for the job. Team president Art Rooney II and general manager Omar Khan also put their support behind Pickett in recent interviews.

With Wilson joining the Steelers, that lessens the chance of Mason Rudolph returning to the organization. Rudolph started the final three games of the regular season – going 3-0 in those games – and was under center for the Steelers’ playoff loss at Buffalo. He is a free agent can begin fielding offers Monday at noon in the two-day legally tampering period.

Wilson, 35, threw 26 touchdown passes against just eight interceptions last season in 15 starts for the Broncos before he was benched at the end of the season. His stay in Denver lasted just two years after he signed a five-year, $242.6 million contract following a trade with the Seattle Seahawks.

In 2013, his second NFL season, Wilson led Seattle to its first Super Bowl championship. He led the Seahawks back to the Super Bowl the following season and was a last-second interception away from defeating the New England Patriots for a second consecutive championship.

Wilson was selected to the Pro Bowl in all but one of his 10 years with the Seahawks. He made 30 starts combined over the 2022-23 seasons in Denver, compiling an 11-19 record.