Less than three years ago, he was traded by the franchise he won a Super Bowl with. Eleven months ago, the Broncos benched him and eventually absorbed the biggest dead cap hit in NFL history.
And come March, Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson could be the crown jewel of the free-agent quarterback class.
A weak free-agent class, coupled with a weak draft class, makes for an interesting supply-and-demand question for the league at its most important position. And Wilson, set to be an unrestricted free agent after this season, could have some options.
Wilson, 36, is currently playing on a one-year, $1.21 million veteran minimum contract in Pittsburgh, thanks to the Broncos still paying Wilson $39 million. The Steelers also have Justin Fields, who’s in the final year of his rookie contract and will also be an unrestricted free agent in March.
The Steelers famously do not negotiate during the season, so there’s no shot that an extension for anyone will take place until the season has concluded. And there’s a desire within the building to not only retain Wilson but also Fields.
The likely reality is the team will have to choose one in the offseason, and conventional wisdom would point to the franchise choosing the player it selected to start over a healthy Fields when the team was 4-2.
But if a recent survey of NFL executives is any indication, figuring out Wilson’s market is going to be difficult. Text responses around the league asking for the expected average-per-year contract for Wilson made for the NFL’s version of a Rorschach test.
Executive 1: “Think a lot depends on how he finishes up the season and how Pittsburgh views him. If they make some noise in the playoffs, Geno [Smith] at [$25 million]. If he fizzles down the stretch, he’s a bridge/backup at [$10-12 million].”Executive 2: “I think he will get more than those top backup/bridge QB deals ($8-10 million),…..
