Steelers QB depth chart: Exploring Russell Wilson's road to becoming starter for Pittsburgh

The Pittsburgh Steelers will sign veteran quarterback Russell Wilson once the 2024 NFL league calendar starts. While the transaction isn’t official, the nine-time Pro Bowler will join the Steelers on a one-year veteran minimum deal.

The NFL’s current collective bargaining agreement states that players with at least ten years of experience must have an annual base salary of not lower than $1.2 million. Therefore, that’s the value Wilson will be getting from Pittsburgh, which is a highly favorable deal considering his experience

Meanwhile, the Denver Broncos must pay him $37.8 million as part of Wilson’s canceled five-year, $242.5 million contract extension. They will also absorb $39 million in dead money as part of the quarterback’s record-setting $85 million dead cap.

But while Russell Wilson will join the AFC North franchise, the starting quarterback position won’t automatically go to him. Here’s how he can land that spot under head coach Mike Tomlin.

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Steelers must finalize their quarterback depth chart

Pittsburgh can add another player to beef up their quarterback rotation. It pays to have an extra player behind center because of the AFC North’s defensive physicality. Let Joe Burrow and Deshaun Watson’s season-ending injuries last season be a guide for Mike Tomlin.

Aside from Russell Wilson, the Steelers have Kenny Pickett, who is still under his rookie-scale contract until 2025. Retaining him is the better option because he will count for only $4.5 million in base salaries over the next two seasons against $8.3 million in dead cap if they cut him.

With two quarterbacks under contract, the Steelers have room for a third player on a cap-friendly deal. Therefore, they can use one of their seven picks in the 2024 NFL Draft, especially the late-round ones, to find another player.

The Steelers can sign a free-agent quarterback like Mason Rudolph, but his salary can take up a significant part of their $18.4 million cap space. They must maintain that amount to address other roster concerns, mainly in the defensive secondary and the offensive line.

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Russell Wilson will compete for the starting role at training camp

However, even if Wilson has more extensive experience than Pickett, he still has to earn his spot during training camp. Just like the other NFL teams, the Steelers will have their camp in July, but not before the franchises that hired new head coaches.

Russell Wilson feels good coming into the 2024 season because he led the Broncos to a better record in 2023 (8-9) than in 2022 (5-12). He also had a better completion percentage (60.5 to 66.4) and an improved touchdown-to-interception ratio (16-11 to 26-8).

Still, he must prove worthy of being the starter by convincing Tomlin and the Steelers coaching staff that he’s the best man for the job. Therefore, he must enter camp with a chip on his shoulder to silence his critics.