Former GM Pushing Steelers to Trade Russell Wilson

A former executive believes the Pittsburgh Steelers will move on from Russell Wilson.

Aug 9, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson (3) watches the action against the Houston Texans during the 2nd quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Barry Reeger-USA TODAY Sports / Barry Reeger-USA TODAY Sports

PITTSBURGH -- One former NFL executive believes there is an easy solution as the Pittsburgh Steelers sort out their quarterback competition ahead of the regular season.

ESPN's Mike Tannenbaum, who was the New York Jets' general manager from 2006 to 2012, believes Russell Wilson marks an ideal fit for the Minnesota Vikings after first-round pick J.J. McCarthy suffered a season-ending injury during training camp.

"Unfortunately for Minnesota, history is repeating itself," Tannenbaum said. "We go back to 2016, very unfortunate injury. Teddy Bridgewater had a catastrophic injury at practice. Sam Bradford gets traded from the Eagles to the Vikings. So to me, I think a win-win here is to trade Russell Wilson to Minnesota. I think he's a better quarterback than Sam Darnold."

Though Wilson would still appear to be the frontrunner for Pittsburgh's starting job ahead of Justin Fields, that gap has certainly narrowed since the beginning of camp.

After Wilson suffered a calf injury during the team's conditioning test, he was limited during team activities as he worked his way back to full-strength. That opened the door for Fields to run with the first-team offense, however, where he impressed and gained some ground on Wilson.

Fields started the Steelers' first preseason game of the year against the Houston Texans as Wilson remained sidelined. He played three series with the rest of the first-team personnel and failed to score while going 5-for-6 through the air with two fumbles.

Both quarterbacks appeared in Pittsburgh's bout with the Buffalo Bills last Saturday, though it was Wilson who earned the starting nod over Fields. He was on the field for five drives in his Steelers debut, going 8-for-10 for 47 yards, though Pittsburgh did not score with him at the helm.

Fields didn't fare much better, finishing 11-for-17 for 92 yards through the air and 42 yards on the ground as the Steelers went on to lose 9-3.

If Fields were ultimately to beat out Wilson, the Vikings would be a logical landing spot via trade for Wilson. After McCarthy tore his right meniscus, Sam Darnold is the team's starter after signing a one-year deal worth up to $10 million this offseason. Though he's appeared in that role 56 times throughout his career, he's started just seven times over the past two seasons.

Wilson does have a no-trade clause in his contract per ESPN's Dan Graziano, which could complicate the situation should Pittsburgh look to move on from him. However, if the Steelers communicate that he won't start for them this season, Wilson could look to capitalize on another opportunity elsewhere.

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