Should Steelers Trade Wilson? Ex-GM Suggests Pittsburgh Sign Replacement

After the Pittsburgh Steelers managed just three points in the 9-3 loss to the Buffalo Bills, which was the preseason debut of veteran quarterback Russell Wilson since signing with the team this offseason, should general manager Omar Khan begin fielding calls?

That is exactly what former NFL general manager and now-turned-analyst Mike Tannenbaum has proposed during his recent appearance on ESPN's "Get Up."

“A win-win here is to trade Russell Wilson to Minnesota. I think he’s a better quarterback than Sam Darnold. They certainly can battle it out," Tannenbaum said . Ryan Tannehill is still a free agent guys.

"You go back to the two years that Tannehill was with Arthur Smith at Tennessee, they had an unbelievable two-year run," Tannebaum continued. "18-8 record, they averaged 30 points per game. Let him come in and at least initially back up Justin Fields."

A hot take? Maybe not exactly. Although it seems that Wilson is still the favorite to become the Steelers' starting quarterback for their Week 1 game versus the Atlanta Falcons, it could be classified as one.

However, the suggestion of signing Tannehill isn't a new take regarding analysts talking about an Arthur Smith -coached team. Even during his time with the Falcons, Tannehill was constantly associated with the team due to Smith's prior success with the former first-round pick.

But saying that Tannehill would be an upgrade over Willson would seem a stretch. Even while Wilson had his share of struggles in his two seasons with the Denver Broncos, Tannehill hasn't been able to recapture the form he was in when he and Smith helped lead the Titans to the AFC Championship in 2019.

This may be why he's constantly being floated as a possible quarterback option for teams coached by Smith. However, with the start of the regular season now being under three weeks away, it wouldn't make sense for the Steelers to suddenly ditch their plan at quarterback after struggles in their first two preseason games.

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Sure, the Steelers could find a likely trade partner in the Vikings, who lost rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy to a season-ending knee injury in training camp, but what would Wilson bring back in return? Thinking realistically, I'd predict a late-round pick or two for a 35-year-old quarterback on an expiring contract.

Is that worth it to the Steelers? Some may say something is better than nothing. However, trading Wilson assumes that Pittsburgh is comfortable with naming Fields as their starting quarterback.