Pittsburgh Steelers sign quarterback Russell Wilson then agree Kenny Pickett trade

The Pittsburgh Steelers have signed former Super Bowl-winning quarterback Russell Wilson to a one-year contract.

The 35-year-old became a free agent when the Denver Broncos dismissed him just two years after signing him in one of the most lucrative trades in NFL history.

The Pittsburgh Steelers then agreed to trade Kenny Pickett to the Philadelphia Eagles.

“I was fortunate to have several teams call, but this is where I wanted to be,” said Wilson of Pittsburgh, which has a joint-record six NFL championships.

“To be a Pittsburgh Steeler, to wear the black and gold, is a great honour. The tradition and history. There are six Super Bowl trophies in there. “We need to go get a seventh.”

Wilson won the Super Bowl versus Denver in 2014 during his 10-year tenure with the Seattle Seahawks, making him one of just five active quarterbacks to have started and won the NFL’s title game, alongside Patrick Mahomes, Matthew Stafford, Aaron Rodgers, and Joe Flacco.

Before the 2022 season began, Denver dealt two first-round draft picks, two second-round picks, a fifth-round pick, and three players to Seattle in exchange for Wilson and a fourth-round pick. He then signed a five-year contract extension worth $245 million that runs until 2029.

Wilson was hailed as the long-term successor to great quarterback Peyton Manning, who retired after the Broncos won their third Super Bowl in 2016, but he won only 11 of his 30 games with the team.

He had two head coaches in two years with the Broncos, with rookie Nathaniel Hackett fired late in his first season and his successor Sean Payton benching him for the last two games of the 2023 season.