Heading into the offseason, the Pittsburgh Steelers knew they needed to address an offense that ranked 28th in scoring in 2023. Changes started at the top, with Mike Tomlin hiring former Falcons head coach Arthur Smith to be the Steelers’ offensive coordinator and play-caller.
Signs pointed to Kenny Pickett getting a chance to enter his third season as Pittsburgh’s starting QB, but the Steelers also had interest in bringing in some competition to help push their former first-round pick. Being that their new offensive play-caller had previous experience coaching former Pro Bowl QB Ryan Tannehill during their time together with the Titans, the 35-year-old looked like an ideal fit for the Steelers in free agency.
But then Russell Wilson became available, and plans changed, with the Steelers preferring to sign a player who’s been to nine Pro Bowls instead of just one like Tannehill. Add in the fact that Wilson was willing to sign for a ridiculously low rate at $1.2 million, and the Steelers had a deal.
However, had Pittsburgh not been able to convince Wilson to team up with Coach Tomlin, the team reportedly considered signing others such as Kirk Cousins, Tyler Huntley, or Ryan Tannehill.
Cousins was likely never in the Steelers’ price range, and being that he signed for $180 million with the Falcons, there probably aren’t any regrets here. Huntley has since signed a one-year contract for $1.2 million with the Cleveland Browns, but Tannehill remains unsigned.
If the Steelers still believed Pickett could be their franchise QB, it’s possible they would have prioritized landing a veteran backup like Tannehill. Yet, the opportunity to add a former Super Bowl winner in Russell Wilson clearly won out in the end, even if it meant parting with the 20th pick from the 2022 NFL Draft. But with the Steelers pivoting to Justin Fields to be Wilson’s backup, Pittsburgh not only found a better starting quarterback, they also still have a young prospect who could develop into a starter.
Related: 2024 NFL mock draft: Projecting Pittsburgh Steelers’ first-round pick