Russell Wilson focused on helping Steelers win, not QB battle with Kenny Pickett

EDITOR’S NOTE: This article was published before the Pittsburgh Steelers agreed to trade quarterback Kenny Pickett to the Philadelphia Eagles on Friday afternoon.

Russell Wilson joined the Pittsburgh Steelers for a shot to start under center, but the former Pro Bowler said Friday that isn’t where his focus is. 

“I come in with the mindset of just being the best version of me every day. I think that’s always the plan,” Wilson told Pittsburgh media. “For me, I want to help our football team win. I think that’s the quarterback’s role is to help the Pittsburgh Steelers win.”

The Steelers used a 2022 first-round pick on Kenny Pickett, but the signal-caller struggled to move the offense and was eventually usurped by Mason Rudolph last season. In steps Wilson, a former Super Bowl champion following two down seasons in Denver.

Wilson repeatedly parried questions about whether he was given any assurances he would be the starter.

“Every day you wake up, you look forward to helping the team win,” he said. “I think that’s just honestly my focus right now. I’ve been fortunate to be in this league for a long time and had a lot of success and done some cool things, but there’s more to do. And that’s where my head’s at.”

Wilson and Pickett are expected to compete in a training camp battle for the starting gig to open the season.

The 35-year-old added that he reached out to Pickett when he decided to sign in Pittsburgh.

“As soon as I made the decision to come here, I texted Kenny and got to talk to him a little bit and told him, ‘Hey, every day we go out there, let’s be the best version of ourselves and try to make this team better,'” Wilson said. “So that was cool. I just texted him right away. For me, the thing about being a quarterback in this National Football League, there’s 32 teams, there’s 32 quarterbacks that get to start, but there’s all these guys that get to do all the work together and on the journey. It’s a quarterback club. The best part about it is I’ve been fortunate to be a part of it for my 13th year. I want to continue that as long as I possibly can.”

With the Broncos owing Wilson $38 million following his release, the Steelers were able to sign the QB to the veteran minimum of $1.21 million. As a practical matter, Wilson is essentially playing in Pittsburgh this season for free. He chose the Steelers for a chance to get back to winning.

“I was fortunate to have several teams call, and all that, but this is the place that I wanted to be,” he said. “Being a Pittsburgh Steeler and to wear the black and gold, it’s a true honor. It’s tradition. It’s history. There’s six trophies in there and we’ve got to go get a seventh.”

Wilson said he has designs on playing “five to seven” more years. If that’s the case, his play must dramatically improve compared to what we saw in Denver.

“I think it’s all about how you look at it,” Wilson said when asked about his time with the Broncos. “In life, a lot of times when things don’t go your way, you can look at it as disappointing [or] you can look at it as growth moments. For me, my first year [in Denver] I had my lat. I was playing on it, pushing through it. Should I have done that? You know, you compete every day. You got to do what you got to do. Everything didn’t go our way. This past year, I felt like myself again. I felt like myself again, so I can’t wait to just put on the cleats and go after it.”

First, he’ll have to beat out Pickett for the starting gig.