Russell Wilson role confirmed as Pittsburgh Steelers trade away Kenny Pickett

The Pittsburgh Steelers are reportedly trading Kenny Pickett to the Philadephia Eagles in a move that would hand their starting quarterback job to Russell Wilson. 

Wilson signed a one-year contract with the Steelers at the start of the week following his release by the Denver Broncos. Initially, most believed that he would compete with Pickett for the starting job in Pittsburgh, but today’s move clears the way for Wilson to be behind centre in 2024. 

The NFL Network report that Pickett will head to the Eagles, adding that when Wilson signed for the Steelers, they indicated he would be the starter, rather than compete with the former first-round pick. 

ESPN add that the deal will see Pittsburgh receive a third-round pick this year and two 2025 seventh-round picks, while the Eagles will also receive a fourth-round selection this year.

This comes after Wilson held an introductory press conference with the Steelers, where he swerved a number of questions asking if he had been given any assurances about the starting job. 

"Every day you wake up, you look forward to helping the team win," he said. "I think that's just honestly my focus right now. I've been fortunate to be in this league for a long time and had a lot of success and done some cool things, but there's more to do. And that's where my head's at."

Wilson, who is looking to rebuild his career after a disastrous two-year stint in Denver, also said that he had reached out to Pickett. 

"As soon as I made the decision to come here, I texted Kenny and got to talk to him a little bit and told him, 'Hey, every day we go out there, let's be the best version of ourselves and try to make this team better,'" Wilson said. "So that was cool. I just texted him right away. For me, the thing about being a quarterback in this National Football League, there's 32 teams, there's 32 quarterbacks that get to start, but there's all these guys that get to do all the work together and on the journey. It's a quarterback club. The best part about it is I've been fortunate to be a part of it for my 13th year. I want to continue that as long as I possibly can."

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