The Pittsburgh Steelers didn’t offer Russell Wilson a lucrative contract, but they did offer him a chance to start and the opportunity to veto any trade he’s included in.
When the Pittsburgh Steelers signed veteran quarterback Russell Wilson to a one-year deal, they did so with the plan that he’d compete for – and likely win – the starting job, before ultimately providing an upgrade over Kenny Pickett’s services.
But if every team’s plans worked out, there’d be approximately 32 Super Bowl winners.
In the event Wilson loses his grip on the starting job to former first-round pick Justin Fields or finds himself injured long enough to be usurped, Pittsburgh may survive. That’s the beauty of the two-quarterback offseason it has welcomed. But could Wilson be moved in the process?
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Probably not.
On ESPN’s “Get Up,” Dan Graziano spoke about Wilson’s one-year, $1.21 million deal with the Steelers.
“I was looking at his contract the other day. It’s interesting,” he said. “Russell Wilson actually has a no-trade clause in his Steelers contract, which is bizarre at $1.2 million. I’ve never seen that before, but it gives him some say in it, right?”
A no-trade clause does not mean that he cannot be traded. It does mean, however, that he can refuse any trade from Pittsburgh or in some cases provide the team a list of destinations he would accept.
Wilson’s deal is cheap, meaning a Fields resurgence sending him to the bench may also send him to the trade block. Could a competitive team looking for a veteran backup be of interest? Perhaps a team will find itself in need of a short-term starter.
Whomever would be interested, they’d have to make one heck of an offer to convince Wilson to – for the second time in a year and third time in three years – pack up and move his family to his new football home.
Even so, a trade shouldn’t be considered likely. Wilson is the heavy favorite to start, Pittsburgh figures to at least be relevant, if not competitive, and Fields getting snaps with the starters wouldn’t preclude Wilson from taking the job back. Those same off-field reasons persist regardless of his spot on the depth chart, and if he truly isn’t capable of starting, he may accept his role on the bench anyway.
If nothing else, Wilson’s no trade clause could make it more likely for Wilson to be released, rather than traded, should his relationship with the Steelers go south. Still, there’s nothing to suggest that is anywhere close to being the case at this point.
BY ANTHONY LICCIARDI
Anthony Licciardi is an experienced writer and editor who loves scouting and analytics. He graduated from Rutgers University’s School or Journalism and Media Studies.
