OT: The Pittsburgher Thread: Congrats to KC, but Kelce was the real winner winning Swift

[Jaded-Fan]

I can't see that this is anything but great news given the contract cost.

 

[Wattsburgh]

Ugh. Time to put this thread on ignore while all the Kenny haters have a field day

I don’t get why Pickett can’t sit for a season under a franchise / Super Bowl QB like Wilson. to where both sides can get along.

If Wilson does good I doubt we will re sign him and Pickett starts the next season anyway while learning for a year.

If he doesn’t then it was only worth 1.2 million and we keep trying Pickett until we find someone else or don’t need to.


Win win signing. As we let the offense build around a franchise QB.

 

[Peat]

Can't say I buy the idea that maybe they can go back to Pickett after a year of Wilson. I mean, they can, but what's the point? Either he's not the guy and you wasted a year, or he is the guy but now he's a pending UFA (I mean, you can't use the 5th year option on a guy you just sat for a year, right?) and you're going to get bent over the table cap wise. I doubt Pickett is going to have the sort of warm fuzzy feelings where he'll take a friendly deal for the Steelers now.

It's a lose-lose situation and if he actually had a trade market better than Mac Jones, which I mostly doubt, the Steelers should think about selling.

 

[Wattsburgh]

Can't say I buy the idea that maybe they can go back to Pickett after a year of Wilson. I mean, they can, but what's the point? Either he's not the guy and you wasted a year, or he is the guy but now he's a pending UFA (I mean, you can't use the 5th year option on a guy you just sat for a year, right?) and you're going to get bent over the table cap wise. I doubt Pickett is going to have the sort of warm fuzzy feelings where he'll take a friendly deal for the Steelers now.

It's a lose-lose situation and if he actually had a trade market better than Mac Jones, which I mostly doubt, the Steelers should think about selling.

Pickett is only going into his 3rd season.

 

[bambamcam4ever]

I don’t get why Pickett can’t sit for a season under a franchise / Super Bowl QB like Wilson. to where both sides can get along.

If Wilson does good I doubt we will re sign him and Pickett starts the next season anyway while learning for a year.

If he doesn’t then it was only worth 1.2 million and we keep trying Pickett until we find someone else or don’t need to.


Win win signing. As we let the offense build around a franchise QB.

Wilson is not a franchise QB. He's been bad for 3 years now. It's not the same guy you remember.

Even setting aside his ego, Wilson tried to usurp the GM and coach in Seattle. How stupid do you have to be to sign this guy?

 

[Mr Jeff Jimerson]

Wilson is not a franchise QB. He's been bad for 3 years now. It's not the same guy you remember.

Even setting aside his ego, Wilson tried to usurp the GM and coach in Seattle. How stupid do you have to be to sign this guy?

Those qb stats are way better than Steelers qb stats the past 5 seasons.

 

[Peat]

Pickett is only going into his 3rd season.

Right.

But he's not playing next season unless Wilson is a disaster or injured.

So he's probably entering his 4th season with the exact same body as work. A sane organisation cannot offer a substantial extension to him in that situation and he has little reason to sign a small one.

At which point, should he be starting, the lose-lose scenario kicks in. Either he wastes a season or you have to sign him to a big contract.

Pickett's career might be fine. Pickett's career as a Steeler is pretty much done. It would take an unlikely set of circumstances and him wanting to be a Steeler over other offers which, at this point, seems quite unlikely in itself. He'll hang around for a couple of years as a back-up but as anyone meaningful, it's probably done.

Those qb stats are way better than Steelers qb stats the past 5 seasons.

He didn't say not better than the Steelers QBs the past 5 seasons. He said not a franchise QB. Different things. What you've posted has confirmed the point, not refuted it.

 

[Ryder71]

I can't see that this is anything but great news given the contract cost.

Fantastic! This affords us a lot of cap flexibility to fortify the rest of team. Great value, very exited!

 

[bambamcam4ever]

Those qb stats are way better than Steelers qb stats the past 5 seasons.

Great! Where can they get the Wilson from 5 years ago? Stats are only so meaningful in a sport where player performance is as entangled as in football. If you haven't watched him play you can just admit that.

 

[JTG]

I hope it was just mismanagement in Denver. He was not impressive, but if he can get back to Seattle Russ...this team could be really good.

 

[OnMyOwn]

I’d argue he had 1 bad year, his first in Denver. Last year was actually decent and those stats are without the last two games of the season. He would have finished with about 3500 yards and 30 passing TD’s while rushing for 400 if he played the last 2.

 

[Pens1566]

First, there's no way (outside of injury) that KP will be the starter now.
Second, outside of '22 Russ has not been that bad on a really shitty/terrible Broncos team.
Third, that deal is all reward and no risk.
Fourth, now you keep DJ.
Fifth, I can't wait for reports on how KP takes this news. Prediction: it won't be good. I don't think he'll be around in '25. Just a hunch.

 

[Mr Jiggyfly]

Right.

But he's not playing next season unless Wilson is a disaster or injured.

So he's probably entering his 4th season with the exact same body as work. A sane organisation cannot offer a substantial extension to him in that situation and he has little reason to sign a small one.

At which point, should he be starting, the lose-lose scenario kicks in. Either he wastes a season or you have to sign him to a big contract.

Pickett's career might be fine. Pickett's career as a Steeler is pretty much done. It would take an unlikely set of circumstances and him wanting to be a Steeler over other offers which, at this point, seems quite unlikely in itself. He'll hang around for a couple of years as a back-up but as anyone meaningful, it's probably done.



He didn't say not better than the Steelers QBs the past 5 seasons. He said not a franchise QB. Different things. What you've posted has confirmed the point, not refuted it.

Right, you can’t really keep KP hanging around for another season after this.

That was always my worst case scenario… MR, Fields or whomever comes in and wins starting job, KP hangs around another year etc etc.

Either he proves himself this season or time to move on, and I can’t see him winning a starting job over Wilson.

I’m pretty adamant about giving a QB three years, but after that I’ve rarely seen it work out.

The Wilson signing tells me Tomlin is feeling pressure/desperation to finally win a playoff game.

I’m fine with it since it didn’t cost them any assets, but after watching the MS interview and him saying that RW played like “garbage” despite his stats, not going to pretend to be excited.

This is starting to smell a lot like the misery of the early 2000s when Cowher went dumpster diving for QBs and there was no hope, no plan, and everyone got so desperate they made a box of cereal for a former insurance salesman.

 

[OnMyOwn]

I wonder if this increases the odds we sign Cushenberry to be the C?

 

[MrBrightside]

I'm pretty meh about Wilson - still would have preferred Fields' upside - but they couldn't run it back with the same QB room next year and they gave up no assets and he costs next to nothing, so on balance it's a good move. Just don't think it really changes things much in terms of ceiling or the future at the position.

 

[Rossi Rat]

Fifth, I can't wait for reports on how KP takes this news. Prediction: it won't be good. I don't think he'll be around in '25. Just a hunch.

I can tell you with certainty he will not be taking the news well. This is the same guy who cried, threw a fit and refused to be the backup in Seattle. Then when Mason balled out, he needed to be coddled and still shown as the starter on the depth chart, even though he clearly lost the job.

 

[PensandCaps]

I don’t get why Pickett can’t sit for a season under a franchise / Super Bowl QB like Wilson. to where both sides can get along.

If Wilson does good I doubt we will re sign him and Pickett starts the next season anyway while learning for a year.

If he doesn’t then it was only worth 1.2 million and we keep trying Pickett until we find someone else or don’t need to.


Win win signing. As we let the offense build around a franchise QB.

Well, Wilson isn't a franchise QB anymore. Only thing Pickett can learn from Wilson is more throws behind the LOS.

Wouldn't be shocked if Wilson is the backup. He was terrible in Denver.

 

[Flying Dego]

Great! Where can they get the Wilson from 5 years ago? Stats are only so meaningful in a sport where player performance is as entangled as in football. If you haven't watched him play you can just admit that.

Russ is average now...the key difference is KP has been absolutely anemic. Russ will look like a superhero tossing 2 TDs in a game.

KP has had a crap OC...but QBs have flash games that show their talent at times. He is a risk averse game manager that doesn't push the pace. And he's basically Burrows age so none of this "let him cook" stuff.

This is pro ball. Nobody's job is secure

 

[T1K]

Well, Wilson isn't a franchise QB anymore. Only thing Pickett can learn from Wilson is more throws behind the LOS.

Wouldn't be shocked if Wilson is the backup. He was terrible in Denver.

Wilson was much better than Pickett in 2023.

 

[Buddy Bizarre]

And you can make a case for Wilson for B, but that's where the personality thing comes into play. You don't want a guy who sets bad examples, you don't want a guy that alienates people, you don't want a guy that thinks helping team mates isn't part of his job. I have no idea whether the personality buzz around Wilson equals someone who can't be that guy, but I at least think about it.

Well if it's 1 person I trust to manage a huge ego, it's Mike Tomlin

 

[xlm34]

Hopefully I’ll eat crow on this plus the Smith hire. But outside of the salary, I kind of hate this signing.

He’s a QB that never played any sort of system but got away with it because he was crazy athletic. But now he isn’t. So we still have a QB that won’t throw over the middle (with an OC that wants his QB to do so), takes a crazy amount of sacks, and potentially is a weird personality fit. And add in a bit of a fumbling problem.

My hope is that Pickett beats him out.

Edit: Also just on the 26 TDs last year — there is a monumentally sized gap between Matt Canada’s talent as an OC and Sean Payton’s talent as a play caller. Pretty much everyone that actually watched Denver would tell you that the stats don’t reflect how bad he actually was.

 

[pistolpete11]

Welp, here goes nothing, I guess.

Hopefully I’ll eat crow on this plus the Smith hire. But outside of the salary, I kind of hate this signing.

He’s a QB that never played any sort of system but got away with it because he was crazy athletic. But now he isn’t. So we still have a QB that won’t throw over the middle (with an OC that wants his QB to do so), takes a crazy amount of sacks, and potentially is a weird personality fit. And add in a bit of a fumbling problem.

My hope is that Pickett beats him out.

Why does he not throw over the middle? Pickett didn't throw over the middle because that was Canada's (and probably Tomlin's) design. I'd assume it's the same in Denver? Or this goes back to Seattle, too?

 

[MrBrightside]

Well if it's 1 person I trust to manage a huge ego, it's Mike Tomlin

I assume this is sarcastic but that's actually one of the major strengths Tomlin has. He's trash in terms of his hiring, his game management, and many other key parts of the job, but he is as good as anyone at managing personalities.

 

[xlm34]

Welp, here goes nothing, I guess.


Why does he not throw over the middle? Pickett didn't throw over the middle because that was Canada's (and probably Tomlin's) design. I'd assume it's the same in Denver? Or this goes back to Seattle, too?

It goes back to Seattle so it hasn’t just been a one time thing. He’s just…short so the common thought is that he has trouble seeing over the middle and prefers to roll out of the pocket.

Seriously…a lot of the complaints people had about Pickett are the same complaints people are going to have about Wilson. Maybe he performs better, but I don’t have high hopes.

 

[MrBrightside]

Would have liked to have signed him but still a lot of options at the position out there.