Russell Wilson's name thrown out as potential surprise cut in 2024

The 2024 NFL season can't get here soon enough. With so much time to think, it seems some of us writers have started to put stuff in the universe that probably doesn't need to be out there. The problem with the NFL offseason is that you can say just about anything is in the realm of possibility until it's not. That's sort of what seems to be going on with a pretty major outlet suggesting former Denver Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson could be cut for the second time in 2024.

Pro Football Network released a list of surprise roster cuts for every team in 2024, and their pick for the Pittsburgh Steelers was actually Russell Wilson, who is projected to be the team's starter in 2024.

Here is their justification:

"With a salary of just over $1 million, Russell Wilson arguably is more valuable to the Steelers if he stays on the roster. However, the salary also makes him easy to cut, and if Justin Fields wins the starting QB job, Pittsburgh might want to cut Wilson to avoid distractions."

- Pro Football Network

We will, of course, be following the remainder of Russell Wilson's NFL career very closely after the way things went and ended between he and the Denver Broncos. Heck, Wilson comes back to Denver in Week 2 of this season, so we'll have to be paying very close attention early on in the season. But let's get real: Wilson's not getting cut by the Steelers.

With a salary of just over $1.2 million for this season, having a player like Wilson in your quarterback room is a bargain among bargains. Some of the top backup quarterbacks in the NFL right now are commanding north of $10 million per season. Just this offseason, the Las Vegas Raiders signed Gardner Minshew to a contract worth $25 million over two seasons. He may not even open the season as the starter over 2023 fourth-round pick Aidan O'Connell.

If nothing else, the Steelers have quality depth at the quarterback position in Russell Wilson. If Justin Fields somehow manages to win that job in training camp and preseason games, having Wilson around wouldn't be a big enough distraction to justify cutting him at $1.2 million. The Steelers won 10 games last year with Kenny Pickett, Mason Rudolph, and Mitch Trubisky running the show at quarterback. Let's say the combination of Fields and Wilson even splits half the games in Pittsburgh this year -- they are going to expect an upgrade at that position regardless.

Wilson would have to look exceptionally bad in training camp and preseason games to justify cutting him at that price. It wouldn't make any sense for the Steelers to cut a player like him when NFL teams used a combined 67 starting quarterbacks last season. Especially not when they were a 10-win team a year ago.

It's certainly headline-worthy to put a player like Wilson on a "surprise cuts" list but it really doesn't make any logical sense for the Steelers to do that, even if Wilson is named QB2 (which also seems very far-fetched).

Again, the 2024 season can't get here soon enough.