A confident, clean-shaved Russell Wilson entered the doors of the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex Friday in a black suit, black shirt, and gold chain hanging from his neck to formally introduce himself as the newest quarterback of the Steelers.
Symbolically clad in the colors he would be set to wear for the next season, the nine-time Pro Bowler and former Super Bowl champion made many things clear in his introductory press conference. He knows his two years in Denver -- after 10 prolific years in Seattle -- need to be behind him. He declared those two seasons did not portray the Russell Wilson that he knows he can be. He knows there is more to add to his legacy, and he wants to add another Lombardi trophy to a team's case.
The Steelers have six of those. Wilson is adamant about making that seven, all while proving he still has it as a high-caliber starting quarterback in the NFL.
"I come in with the mindset of being the best version of me every day," Wilson said. "That's always the plan. What we're trying to do is for me, I want to help our football team win. I think that's the job of the quarterback role is to help the Pittsburgh Steelers win. That's always been the goal every day. So, the goal is to get more trophies and do everything we can to win."
The tone was set for Wilson's arrival in Pittsburgh by the men who is primarily responsible for it. Mike Tomlin and Omar Khan flanked Wilson to his right during this press conference, each with ear-to-ear smiles in seeing their next starting quarterback make his intentions known with his one-year contract signed and sealed.
"It was supposed to be a 15, 20-minute conversation, and next thing you know it's an hour and a half later," Wilson said of his initial meeting with the Steelers. "I think that winning is a habit. Coach (Tomlin) knows what those habits are like. That's what really fires me up. Omar, obviously he's done an amazing job of bringing this team together, and obviously our goal was to acquire some other great players. Got to see the guys that we have coming in today. Obviously, Mr. (Patrick) Queen himself and just the player he is. For me that was a key thing."
More than once, Wilson made it clear he isn't making any sort of competition about any one that might have happened with Kenny Pickett or, now, could potentially happen with another newcomer. By the time the late summer months arrive and the team bunks up in dormitories at St. Vincent College, he said this opportunity is a matter of competing to become a better version of himself.
"Yeah, I look forward to the competition, being the best version of myself first," Wilson said when directly asked if he looked forward to competing with Pickett. "I think you always try to be the best version of you and compete with yourself every day. I know the standard, what if looks like. I know what that looks like internally, mentally, emotionally, spiritually, physically. So, that's the number one thing. Second of all is you always want to make the room better. Then by making the room better you make the team better. What we're really competing for is adding one more in that trophy case over there. That's what we're trying to do together as a team."
Hours after Wilson made his grand introduction to his new team, a team source confirmed to Chris Halicke of DK Pittsburgh Sports the Steelers are trading Pickett to the Eagles as part of a pick swap. That completes Khan's overhaul of the quarterbacks room, with Pickett, Mason Rudolph, and Mitch Trubisky moving on. Rudolph signed a one-year deal to join the Titans, and Trubisky returned to the Bills to back up Josh Allen. As it appears, all three who started at quarterback for the Steelers in 2023 will play for different teams -- and be backup quarterbacks for those respective teams -- in 2024.
Now, Wilson is the only quarterback on the Steelers' active roster.
Throughout various parts of the offseason, Tomlin, Khan, and Art Rooney II made it clear to the public they wanted to bring Rudolph back to compete with Pickett for the starting job. Instead, they pivoted to Wilson before Rudolph ultimately agreed to join the Titans on Wednesday, a move that was made official Friday.
Khan reinforced in his interview sessions at the NFL Combine that he wanted competition for the position. Whether that will remain true into Latrobe is to be determined, obviously, but many speculate that Wilson would not have signed a one-year contract -- read to most as a "prove-it" contract in terms of the length of time he signed for -- if he was going to be relegated to the bench.
With the Broncos, Wilson went 4-11 as a starter in 2022 and experienced his worst statistical season of his career. He completed a career-low 60.5% of his passes and threw for a career-low 16 touchdowns while adding 11 interceptions and being sacked a career-high 55 times. His 2023 was improved as he completed 66.4% of his passes for a 26-to-8 touchdown-to-interception ratio, and he led the Broncos to a 7-8 record in the 15 games he started.
Wilson now has an opportunity to repair his image on the field with this fresh start in Pittsburgh.
"Our job is to lead at the highest level every day," Wilson said. "Being the first ones here, last ones to leave. More importantly, when you walk in the huddle with the other ten, you got to make them believe that every play is going to be a great one. That eye contact, love, passion, energy for that, you know, is a very particular thing. Also, too, it's a swagger, confidence, it's a know-how as well. So, this game, you know, I've been fortunate, like I said, to play this game a long time. Had some great comebacks and great moments and different things that have happened along the way. I think that's --experience is definitely important. It's definitely important. Definitely brings something. But once when I was a rookie,I used to always say experience is only necessary for those who are unqualified. You got to be qualified for it. I've been fortunate to be qualified for it for a while. Got to keep doing it and keep bringing it every day."
But, Wilson has doubled down. The competition is Wilson versus himself, in his eyes.
"Every day you wake up there is something to prove," Wilson said. "You want to be the best version of you. You've got a certain edge. You know, this place does, too, have an edge. It's not just me. There are things that we want to do and accomplish and goals. So, we've got to go take it, go do it. That's what we plan on doing."
