Free Agency Frenzy + New League Year (03/10-03/16): Fields, Wilson, and More
The NFL’s new league year began on March 13th, and as is common around this time of the year, we have gotten a ton of NFL news in the past week.
The Khan man himself - Best GM in Sports
As Steeler fans, we rarely have anything to be excited about during the free agency frenzy, because this team rarely makes any significant moves in free agency. However, with Omar Khan now running the show as GM, this front office is separating themselves from the propensities of old and ushering in a new era of doing business with players. In my entire lifetime as a Steelers fan, I have never seen this team operate in the way they have been this past week. It’s really something to behold.
The Quarterback Situation:
The year I became a Steeler fan was Ben Roethlisberger’s rookie year. Needless to say, the QB chaos of this offseason is very new to me. But, man oh man, if you would’ve told me a few weeks ago that this week was going to play out the way it did, I would’ve called you a nutty jagoff.
On March 10th, reports came out that Russell Wilson planned to sign with the Steelers on a vet minimum contract worth $1.2 million. Yesterday (March 15th), the two sides put pen to paper and made everything official. When the reports initially came out, it was pegged to fans as a move to create “competition” in the QB room between Wilson and Kenny Pickett. However, as it turns out, when Kenny Pickett found out Russ was coming to town, he asked to be traded, and the Steelers’ front office quickly obliged. So, yesterday (March 15th), not long after Wilson officially signed his contract, the Steelers traded Pickett to the Philadelphia Eagles. The Steelers received a 2024 third round pick (No. 98) and two 2025 seventh round picks, while the Eagles got our 2024 fourth round pick (No. 120) and Kenny Pickett. WOW!
In an absolutely WILD turn of events, Russell Wilson is currently the only QB on our roster. There’s conflict out there about whether this is all good or bad news. I’m in the middle.
Wow. For authenticity I’m going to stop that thought right there. As I was writing out this soliloquy, at 5:41 pm CT (March 16th, 2024), the Chicago Bears are trading Justin Fields to the Pittsburgh Steelers for a 2025 sixth round pick that could turn into a fourth round pick based on snaps played.
Like I just got done saying….this offseason is unlike anything I’ve ever seen for this team LMAO. So, what I was getting ready to say was that bringing in Russell Wilson looks good on paper until you consider the fact that you’re now stuck with one QB on your roster, who’s 35 years old, and no plan for the future. However, given the news that just came out, that is not the case.
With Fields, you get a guy that’s 25 years old, younger than Kenny Pickett, who was just starting to play his best football with a bad team and a bad organization. We’re bringing him to Pittsburgh where he can sit for a year behind a proven vet with a similar play style, and one of the most effective and respected coaches the game has ever seen.
There’s no denying that the Steelers failed to plan for life after Ben Roethlisberger. Realistically, they should’ve gotten the ball rolling on this back in 2019 or 2020. You take Kenny Pickett with the 20th pick in the 2022 draft, and set him up to fail from the start. Not to mention, in the eyes of many fans (although I don’t think this), your best QB was Mason Rudolph the whole time. Now Pickett gets a fresh start in Philly, and Rudolph gets a fresh start in Tennessee. If you’re an objective fan of the Pittsburgh Steelers, you have to admit that the QB situation has been mismanaged for the last several years. However, in my opinion, Omar Khan has made it right, and now we look to a bright future with Russell Wilson, and more importantly, Justin Fields.
The Diontae Johnson Trade:
On March 12th, 2024, the Steelers agreed to a trade that sent WR Diontae Johnson to the Carolina Panthers. In the trade, the Steelers got CB Donte Jackson and a 2024 sixth-round pick, while the Panthers got WR Diontae Johnson and a 2024 seventh-round pick. It was also reported that the Chiefs were in talks with the team to acquire Johnson, but the Steelers didn’t want to deal him to an AFC contender. So, he gets his fresh start in North Carolina.
I’m really sad to see Diontae Johnson go, but it was clear that a parting of ways was coming. Many fans point to his lack of effort in securing a lost fumble during a game against the Bengals during the 2023 season as the point of no return for him. However, I have no ill will towards him, and I hope he plays a significant role in improving the offense of the Panthers. As for Donte Jackson, he is very solid in coverage, by all accounts, but he has a problem missing tackles. He should be viewed as a decent depth piece for the Steelers, at corner, but he’s not going to solve the issues currently plaguing our secondary. We’ll still need to look to the draft for a solid CB2, or hope that the Cory Trice hype pays off.
The Rest of the News:
Let’s not discount the significance of the QB moves we’ve made to kick off the offseason. It’s actually insane. However, I’m arguably most excited about signing free agent linebacker Patrick Queen, formerly of the Baltimore Ravens. That hole that we’ve had in the middle of our defense for the last 5+ years has finally been filled in a huge way. I’m thrilled to see the improvements to our defense, hopefully, pay off in 2024. The move was made official yesterday (March 15th).
Queen wasn’t the only former Raven that we brought in on the defensive side of the ball. On March 14th, it was reported that the Steelers were going to sign S DeShon Elliot, who most recently played for the Miami Dolphins. Yesterday, the team made it official, and he signed his contract tying him to the Steelers for 2 years, $6 million. Signing Elliot didn’t create massive headlines like some of the other moves did. However, this was a very smart move by the Steelers, because Elliot is at his best playing strong, downhill football. Hopefully, that means he can be a run stuffer, which will allow Minkah to be a roaming centerfielder like he used to be in his first couple of years with the Steelers, which will undoubtedly result in more interceptions.
Yesterday(March 15th), it was also reported that the Steelers will be signing WR Van Jefferson to a one-year deal. This is another signee that won’t get much attention from the media, but he will add some much-needed depth to our extremely thin WR room. We’ll likely have to look to sign someone else, or draft pretty high to fill the WR2 spot.
Lastly, the team addressed the void left at the Punter position after releasing Pressley Harvin at the start of the offseason. On March 11th, it was reported that the team is going to sign Cameron Johnston, Bill Burr look alike, and Punter, formerly of the Houston Texans. This is a move that Steeler fans were excited about given how trash Pressley Harvin has been these last couple of years.
Whew. What a week to be a fan. There are still some obvious holes that need to be addressed. We’re extremely thin at WR and CB at the moment, we still don’t have a true center on the roster, and some depth along our defensive line would be extremely helpful. However, all things considered, this is a completely different team than the one we saw in the postseason game against Buffalo. It can be argued that teams were hoping to see us in the postseason this past season, but I can assure you, no one wants to see this team in the postseason next year. Khan and Tomlin are putting together a JUGGERNAUT. There are still plenty of free agents out there, and much more news to come. Plus, we have got the draft coming next month. Let’s keep the best offseason of my Steelers fandom rolling.
Here. We. Fuckin. Go.
Subscribe to receive email updates about new posts and follow me on socials!
