Let’s get to it:
JEFF COLAROSSI FROM STUART, FL: The Steelers signed Russell Wilson, and so my question is: Does any part of his previous contract with the Broncos came into play, or would the Steelers have essentially a clean slate?
ANSWER: Russell Wilson is a vested veteran who became an unrestricted free agent when Denver cut him. The Broncos owe Wilson a guaranteed $39 million for 2024. Because of offset language in that contract, whatever Wilson’s new team pays him – and reports are that the Steelers signed him for $1.2 million, which is the league minimum for a player with Wilson’s years of service – is subtracted from that $39 million total.
GRANT SPELLERBERG FROM CUTLER BAY, FL: I know you are getting tons of interest regarding the new quarterback situation. I am wondering if this was all in the works for some time or if it just happened on the spur of the moment? Also, will Tomlin give press conference on this?
ANSWER: I am not privy to the discussions that took place among Steelers President Art Rooney II, General Manager Omar Khan, and Coach Mike Tomlin that had to do with the team completely reshaping its depth chart at quarterback, but my sense is that the outcome was a result of how events unfolded once free agency’s legal tampering period opened on March 11. Starting at that point, the Steelers reacted to events, such as the Broncos releasing Russell Wilson, then Wilson deciding he wanted to play for the Steelers, then Kenny Pickett’s reaction to the move, then the Bears definitively deciding to move on from Justin Fields and use the first overall pick in the upcoming draft on a quarterback, then the Bears coming to agreement with the Steelers on the terms of a trade. Not even Nostradamus could have predicted such a series of events when the 2023 regular season ended. Tomlin’s next scheduled media session will come during the NFL Owners Meetings, which will be held on March 24-27 in Orlando.
DUSTIN COVAULT FROM OAK HARBOR, WA: With the trade for Justin Fields, how does his fifth-year option work for the Steelers, and when does that decision have to be made?
ANSWER: As a first-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, the fifth year of the contract Justin Fields signed as a rookie would be in 2025. The deadline for teams to exercise the fifth-year option for No. 1 picks in 2021 is May 2, 2024, and if the Steelers would decide to exercise Fields’ fifth-year option, based on the NFL’s formula for determining those amounts it would cost them something in the neighborhood of $25 million for that season. Also according to the rules of the Collective Bargaining Agreement, once a team decides to exercise the fifth-year option on a player’s contract, the amount of the fifth-year option is fully guaranteed to the player.
CHUCK GRUBER FROM QUINCY, IL: What do you think the chances are the Steelers will trade up to get a left tackle like Joe Alt from Notre Dame? I know Broderick Jones is still growing, but they have a shot at finding a bookend, with Jones having time in at right tackle already, and creating a 10-to-15 season duo on the offensive line that organizations drool over having.
ANSWER: I’m not disputing the fact that Notre Dame’s Joe Alt certainly looks like an elite prospect, but the situation in which the Steelers find themselves is one where they need all 7 of their picks in the upcoming draft because their roster needs a similar overall injection of talent like they added with their 2023 draft class. It’s possible Alt could be the first non-quarterback selected on April 25, which could make him a top-5 pick. The Steelers have the 20th, 51st, 84th, 98th, and 119th overall picks in the upcoming draft, and it would behoove them to use each of those to add the kind of talent they secured in the picks of Broderick Jones, Joey Porter Jr., Keeanu Benton, Darnell Washington, and. Nick Herbig with their first five selections last year. That would be a far better use of their draft capital than packaging two picks to make one selection.
JD AKERS FROM ORMOND BEACH, FL: Has the free agent frenzy left you more shocked, optimistic, or skeptical of the goings on? Is there any way you see the Steelers being able to pay both quarterbacks again next year?
ANSWER: At this point – and by that I mean within the first 7 days since the beginning of the new league year – I would describe myself as excited about the prospects. While most feedback I have gotten from fans so far has centered around the moves at quarterback – the additions of Russell Wilson and Justin Fields coupled with the departures of Kenny Pickett and Mason Rudolph – I view the signing of inside linebacker Patrick Queen as a significant addition, both for what it gives the Steelers at a position of need on defense and what it subtracts from the Ravens’ defense at the same time. And regarding your second question, what I have learned from these opening salvos of this free agent period is that speculating on what might or might not happen a calendar year from now is a fool’s exercise because based on how I thought the first official week of this offseason would unfold I would include myself among those who were fooled.
BILL DOMINICK FROM LAKEWOOD, OH: Now that the quarterback problem is under control, we haven’t heard anything about a center. It seems a priority to find a general for the offensive line.
ANSWER: During the Super Bowl era, the Steelers acquired three “generals” for their offensive line – Mike Webster, Dermontti Dawson, and Maurkice Pouncey – and all came to them via the draft. The 2024 NFL Draft will be held from April 25-27 in Detroit. You should expect to be hearing something about a center then.
GEORGE MARTON FROM ERIE, PA: Is there a stat out there anywhere that tracks how many times a quarterback goes “three-and-out” over a season? It may give an insight into the quarterback’s efficiency beyond number of attempts, completions, touchdowns, and interceptions. We have been getting a lot of quarterback comparisons based on those four criteria.
ANSWER: There are stats out there that track anything and everything, but like a lot of statistics “out there,” assigning three-and-outs to the quarterback doesn’t necessarily tell the whole story. Here’s what I mean: It’s first-and-10 at the 25-yard line following the opening kickoff. A running play gains 5 yards. A second-down running play gains 4 yards. On third-and-1, the center gets blown up and pushed into the backfield and that running play is stopped for no gain. Should that three-and-out be assigned to the quarterback?
BRIAN DELGADO FROM GILBERT, AZ: I’m a Steelers fan since as far back as I remember, and one of my favorite players is Troy Polamalu. I feel lucky to have watched him play in my lifetime. He was a consummate ball-hawk and made his presence known on every snap. Do any coaches teach the techniques Polamalu used, or was he truly that unique naturally?
ANSWER: In addition to his physical skill-set, what made Troy Polamalu a dynamic player was his uncanny anticipation, his instincts for particular game situations. I don’t believe that can be taught. A coach could stress the importance of game preparation, stress the importance of video study both of opponents’ tendencies and that team’s offensive playmakers. But I could study video and maybe even write a report on tendencies and how a particular opponent/quarterback will react/respond to certain situations. But the ability to acquire knowledge, be able to process it in the heat of a game, and then anticipate and act on all of that to make a dynamic play is God-given, in my opinion. The best thing a coach can do with that kind of a player is nurture him and put him in position to act on his instincts. Sometimes with a player like that, it’s more about getting out of the way and not messing him up.
GARY PHILIPS FROM MANORVILLE, PA: What did the football media talk about this time of year before the advent of free agency?
ANSWER: Nothing. Literally. There was no football media anywhere near the Steelers offices back then from the end of the season until the draft. With the NFL regular season opening on Labor Day weekend back then, there would be almost three full months between the end of the season and the draft. With no social media or internet, there was nothing for the football media to do.
GER DORAN FROM DUBLIN, IRELAND: With the relationship between the Steelers and Ireland, how likely do you think it is that the Steelers could play a preseason or even a regular season game here in Dublin?
ANSWER: I believe that if it was solely up to the Steelers, it would have a very good chance of happening.
JOE ASHER FROM TAMPA, FL: Based on your last installment, I went to YouTube and watched the entirety of Jack Lambert’s Hall of Fame speech. It was amazing. Thank you for the suggestion. Do the inductees ever get help writing their speeches from professionals, and have you ever contributed to someone’s speech?
ANSWER: My experience with those speeches is that they’re very personal to each inductee, and I certainly wouldn’t feel qualified to contribute even if asked.
JEFF PALADINA FROM MECHANICSBURG, PA: When a player requests a trade, why do general managers sometimes delegate the job of finding a suitable trade to that player’s agent? What incentive does the agent or the player requesting the trade have to maximize the return offer?
ANSWER: A team may allow a player’s agent to shop for a trading partner, but there’s a difference between shopping and buying. The deal isn’t completed by the player’s agent. It’s only a situation where an individual who is representing the player who might be on the trading block is given a chance to sell the merits of his client to the degree where it drums up some interest. Compensation for the player isn’t something the agent is permitted to finalize; that’s only done from team-to-team.
JASON PRASTER FROM SAN ANTONIO, TX: With the addition of Patrick Queen to the linebacker corps, does this signal an end to Cole Holcomb as a Steeler?
ANSWER: Cole Holcomb sustained a significant knee injury during a regular season game while under contract to the Steelers, and he still has two more years left on that contract. What I envision happening is the Steelers allow him to complete his rehab and give him the entirety of the 2024 season to fashion a comeback.
SCOTT MILLSTEIN FROM NEW YORK, NY: After reading your article about Bill Hillgrove’s retirement, it seems like the Rooney family had a lot of influence on the hiring decision. What is the process for hiring his replacement? Who are the leading candidates, and will the team ownership have a similar role in the process?
ANSWER: The process for hiring Bill Hillgrove’s replacement as the Steelers’ radio play-by-play announcer will be similar to the one used to hire him back in 1994. I have no knowledge of the names being considered, and yes, ownership will have a significant role in the process.
NICK MOSES FROM SIMI VALLEY, CA: Do you have any inkling who the Steelers might be hoping to land in the draft?
ANSWER: I have no idea which players the Steelers might be eyeing in the draft, because I don’t believe for a second they know which players they’ll be eyeing in the draft. Way too early in the process for that. You can find media who will guess at the answer to that question, but they don’t know and have no way of knowing.
ROBERT YEAGER FROM CANYON COUNTRY, CA: Please explain why, and who ultimately made the decision to change the Steelers’ uniforms from block numbers to rounded numbers in 1997? Was it on some bizarre whim, or a crazy “market research” result?
ANSWER: The NFL switched from Reebok to Nike as its primary uniform partner for the 1997 season, and Nike presented each team with suggested changes to each team’s uniform. The changes to the Steelers uniform included a switch to rounded numbers and the addition of the team’s logo on the front left chest area of the jersey. And as everything pertaining to the Steelers during the 1990s, the changes were approved by Dan Rooney.
JOHN NEAL FROM HIRAM, GA: As a young boy growing up in Pittsburgh my aunt worked for Andy Russell. For several years in the 1970s he sent me a Christmas a card that would include several signed photos by current players. What an impression that made on this young boy and lifelong Steelers fan.
ANSWER: Thanks for sharing.