Sources – Russell Wilson, Steelers to meet; QB spoke with Giants،
Quarterback Russell Wilson is visiting the Pittsburgh Steelers on Friday and spoke with the New York Giants on Thursday as the soon-to-be free agent searches for his next NFL team, sources told Adam Schefter of ESPN.
League sources described Wilson's session with the Giants as an “exploratory meeting.” Wilson is expected to meet with other teams, possibly including the Las Vegas Raiders, sources said.
Wilson is meeting with teams ahead of his release by the Denver Broncos at the start of the league year on Wednesday. Sources told Schefter this week that the Broncos have granted Wilson permission to immediately begin speaking and meeting with other teams in their hometown.
The Steelers only have 2022 first-round pick Kenny Pickett under contract at quarterback. Mason Rudolph enters free agency after starting three games for Pittsburgh last season.
Steelers general manager Omar Khan expressed his “full confidence” in Pickett this month at the NFL meeting.
“We're excited about Kenny and excited about the impact this [new OC] Arthur Smith is going to struggle offensively and Kenny,” Khan said.
Still, Khan and coach Mike Tomlin have said they plan to compete with Pickett, although Khan has not indicated how the team plans to do so. Khan also said the team remains interested in bringing Rudolph back.
Generally conservative in their approach to free agency, the Steelers have recently added free agent quarterbacks to their roster. Before signing Pickett, the Steelers signed former Chicago Bears first-round pick Mitch Trubisky to a two-year, $14 million contract on the first day of free agency in 2021. Trubisky, however, was ousted as starter by Pickett four games into the season. , and despite signing an extension last offseason, Trubisky was released by the team earlier this year.
The Giants, meanwhile, have said they expect to add a quarterback this offseason, whether in free agency or the draft. Daniel Jones is rehabbing a torn ACL and backup Tyrod Taylor is set to become a free agent.
New York could opt out of Jones' four-year, $160 million contract after the 2024 season. The cost would be a digestible $22.2 million dead cap hit in 2025.
The Broncos announced Monday that they would release Wilson, ending a tumultuous two-season run in which Denver went 11-19 during Wilson's starts and failed to advance to the playoffs.
Coach Sean Payton benched Wilson with two games remaining in 2023, a move that effectively marked the end of the quarterback's career in Denver. Wilson had 3,070 passing yards with 26 touchdowns and eight interceptions in 2023 before his benching.
The Broncos signed Wilson to a five-year, $242.6 million contract after he arrived in a blockbuster trade with the Seattle Seahawks in 2022. They will take on $85 million in dead money over the two next seasons due to this release.
The tipping point for the public divorce was likely the conversation between Wilson, his representatives and the Broncos during the team's Week 9 bye. The Broncos maintain they wanted to find a “creative way” for Wilson to waive or adjust a $37 million injury guarantee in his contract.
Wilson, 35, said he was told at the time that if he and his representatives didn't play the financial game, he would be removed from the starting job.
He is now looking for a third NFL team after spending the first 10 seasons of his career with the Seahawks, during which he was selected to nine Pro Bowls and won a Super Bowl. A third-round pick by Seattle in 2012, Wilson has totaled 43,653 yards with 334 touchdowns and 106 interceptions.
Information from ESPN's Brooke Pryor, Jordan Raanan and Jeff Legwold was used in this report.
