The Pittsburgh Steelers have signed former Super Bowl-winning quarterback Russell Wilson on a one-year contract.
The 35-year-old was a free agent as the Denver Broncos released him just two years after signing him in one of the most valuable trades in NFL history.
The 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, who have won a joint-record six NFL titles.
“To be a Pittsburgh Steeler, to wear the black and gold – it’s a true honour. The tradition, the history. There’s six [Super Bowl] trophies in there. We’ve got to go get a seventh.”
In a 10-year stint with the Seattle Seahawks, Wilson won the Super Bowl against Denver in 2014 and is one of just five active QBs to have started and won the NFL’s championship game, the others being Patrick Mahomes, Matthew Stafford, Aaron Rodgers and Joe Flacco.
Denver traded 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 before the start of the 2022 season. He then signed a five-year contract extension worth $245m, external to 2029.
Wilson was touted as the long-term successor to legendary quarterback Peyton Manning, who retired after the Broncos clinched their third Super Bowl in 2016, but he won just 11 of his 30 games with Denver.
