At the start of the 2024 offseason, the Pittsburgh Steelers gave off the appearance that they were committed to Kenny Pickett for the 2024 NFL season.

Head coach Mike Tomlin said that Pickett would get the QB1 job back and there was no indication that they were actually interested in any of the big names at the position that they were being linked to.

Things have really changed recently.

Earlier in the week, the Denver Broncos officially decided they would release Russell Wilson more than two months after they had benched him.

It didn’t take very long for the Steelers to decide they wanted to meet with Wilson.

That meeting drew an interesting reaction from former star wide receiver Antonio Brown.

Along with a picture making fun of the size of Pickett’s hands, Brown tweeted “Kenny Pickett gotta be worried.”

Wilson to the Steelers Seeming More Realistic

The possibility of Wilson joining the Steelers became a whole lot more realistic.

Pittsburgh ended up meeting with the nine-time Pro Bowler on March 8, just three days after the Broncos made their decision on his future.

They have also become an overwhelming betting favorite to be Wilson’s next team.

More importantly, it has become much more clear recently how the move could work for the Steelers.

When the Broncos release Wilson, he’ll be leaving with $85 million in guaranteed money for the next two season and leaving behind the largest dead cap hit in football history.

That opens up a big opportunity for any team looking to land a veteran QB this offseason.

Whatever money he makes with his next team won’t change anything for him. Instead, it will just lessen that cap hit for the Broncos.

That has led to a report that Wilson would only be looking to make the veteran minimum on his next deal.

That should make signing Wilson an easy decision for any team needing a QB upgrade.

Right now, the Steelers look like they’ll be that team, but it doesn’t necessarily have to be bad news for Pickett if they are the team.

Not the End for Pickett

Even if the Steelers do end up going on to sign Wilson this offseason, which they probably should, it doesn’t mean that Pickett is permanently done as the starting QB in Pittsburgh.

Regardless of what happens this offseason and during the 2024 season, Pickett’s contract is still fully-guaranteed for the 2025 season.

Wilson’s deal is expected to be cheap in 2024 and might not carry much in guarantees for the 2025 season and unless he plays at a Pro Bowl level in 2024, Pickett will likely at least get the chance to compete the next year.

If he can’t prove he’s ready to be the team’s starter by then, starting for the Steelers in 2024 wouldn’t have helped his career anyway.

There is obviously the issue of his fifth-year option, but that’s more of a problem for the Steelers than for him.

That’s also something that would only become an issue if Pickett played well for an extended period of time, which isn’t something we’ve seen from him yet in his career.

There is also the chance that a year on the bench to learn from Wilson would actually help Pickett develop. He wouldn’t be the first late bloomer at the position.

Jordan Love didn’t become a regular starter until year four. Geno Smith sat the bench for seven years after a tough start to his career. He’s started for the Seahawks for the last two years and led them to the playoffs in 2022.

Even the Steelers just had Mason Rudolph play some of the best football of his career after spending most of the previous three years on the bench.

Even if the Steelers do end up signing Wilson, Pickett will have the chance to bounce back after the 2024 season.

If he can’t pull it off, then the Steelers adding another QB was never really the thing he needed to worry about anyway.