Baldinger thinks the Steelers are a perfect fit for Russell Wilson

The Pittsburgh Steelers raised some eyebrows by agreeing to sign Russell Wilson, who is set to be released by the Denver Broncos. The veteran quarterback has had mixed results in recent years after a promising start to his career.

NFL Insider Brian Baldinger of the Audacy original podcast “In The Huddle” explained why he thinks Pittsburgh is a perfect fit for Wilson.

“I think it’s perfect,” Baldinger said (30:55 in player above). “I got to believe that Pittsburgh isn’t just handing him the ball. I got to believe there’s going to be some level of competition with Kenny Pickett. I mean Russell Wilson doesn’t look like the Russell Wilson of four years ago, to me, but he played much better this year.”

Wilson ended up putting up decent numbers last season with the Broncos, throwing for 26 touchdowns with just eight interceptions. However, Denver decided to let him go after an 11-19 record through two seasons.

Baldinger believes that the Steelers are getting a committed Wilson after a few rough years.

“I texted a guy in the front office in Pittsburgh when the deal looked like it was going down and I said ‘Are you getting a committed, genuine Russell Wilson? You sat there and you talked to him. Did he seem genuine? Did he seem committed? Was he all in?’” he recalled. “And all I got was ‘Yes. Yes. Yes.’”

While other teams could’ve been fits for Wilson, Baldinger thinks the Steelers are ultimately the best one.

“I think it’s a great situation. He’s got a great coach. He’s got a new general manager. They’ve got an organization that’s committed to winning, knows how to win, knows what it looks like,” he said. “They’ve got star defensive power. They’ve got some young receivers that need an adult. I think George Pickens can learn from Russell Wilson.”

Baldinger noted how Wilson was able to help DK Metcalf learn the ropes in his early years and now the wideout is one of the best in the league. Perhaps Wilson can do the same for Pickens.

“I think some of these guys can really learn from Russell,” he said. “I think there’s going to be some level of competition but I expect Russell to be the quarterback. You’re getting him for nothing. You can’t lose right here.”