Sources: Russell Wilson to sign free-agent deal with Steelers

Nine-time Pro Bowl quarterback and former Super Bowl champion Russell Wilson plans to sign with the Pittsburgh Steelers, league sources told ESPN.

Wilson will sign a team-friendly, one-year deal in which the Denver Broncos, who told him last week that he would be released, will wind up paying $38 million of his salary while he wears the black and yellow.

In a social media post Sunday night, Wilson wrote: "Year 13. Grateful." With it was an accompanying video of the Steelers and their fans.

With permission from the Broncos since he was still under contract before the start of the new league year, Wilson visited with Steelers officials in Pittsburgh for over six hours Friday. He met with, amongst others, coach Mike Tomlin and new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith. The two sides had a mutual interest that led to the one-year deal.

Wilson now heads to Pittsburgh with  Kenny Pickett, the Steelers' 2022 first-round pick, being the only quarterback currently under contract to the team. Mason Rudolph is entering free agency after starting three games for Pittsburgh last season.

Wilson, 35, was told by the Broncos last Monday that they would release him after the start of the new league year Wednesday, ending a tumultuous two-season run in which Denver went 11-19 in his starts and failed to make the playoffs. He was benched with two games remaining in 2023, ending the season with 3,070 passing yards to go with 26 touchdowns and eight interceptions.

The Broncos signed Wilson to a five-year, $242.6 million deal after his arrival in a blockbuster trade with the Seattle Seahawks in 2022. They will take on an $85 million hit in dead money over the next two seasons because of the release.

Wilson spent 10 seasons with Seattle, making nine Pro Bowls and winning a Super Bowl in 2014. A third-round pick of the Seahawks in 2012, he has thrown for 43,653 yards with 334 touchdowns and 106 interceptions.

Wilson was asked about his future during the "I Am Athlete" podcast with former Broncos wide receiver Brandon Marshall last month and said winning is his highest priority.

"Over the next two years, I want to win two [Super Bowls], I want to feel the chill of that trophy again," he told Marshall. "I love the city (of Denver) and everything else, but you also want to be [in] a place that wants you, too. The thing I want to do is to win, that's all I care about."

He's enjoyed winning against the Steelers during his career. In two starts against Tomlin and the Steelers, he's 2-0 with eight touchdown passes, no interceptions and a 147.1 passer rating.

The Steelers' 2024 schedule includes a game in Denver against the Broncos, which now could feature Wilson's return.