Steelers Predicted Trade: Patriots 62 mph QB Phenom In as Russell Wilson Leaves

When the Pittsburgh Steelers signed eight-time Pro Bowl quarterback Russell Wilson last March, just four days after he was released by the Broncos following two frustrating seasons in Denver, they had to know that they were not getting the best version of the 12-year veteran. Wilson was then 35 years old and 11 seasons removed from out-dueling Peyton Manning to win his only Super Bowl, also the only championship ever won by the Seattle Seahawks.

But they probably did not anticipate the level of disappointment they would experience with Wilson under center. He took over in Week Seven after Steelers’ coach Mike Tomlin benched starter Justin Fields though Fields had led the team to a 4-2 record and a Week Six 32-13 defeat of the Las Vegas Raiders to start the 2024 season.

Wilson got off to a promising start, extending the Steelers’ win streak to five games. And then the wheels started to come off. As Tomlin stick with Wilson, his team went 2-6 the rest of the way, ending with a five-game losing streak — including the season-ending Wild Card playoff game loss to the Baltimore Ravens.

Steelers Quest to Replace Ben Roethlisberger Drags On

The Steelers have now failed to win a single playoff game since January 9, 2016, when they edged past the Cincinnati Bengals in a Wild Card game, 18-16. Ben Roethlisberger was the Steelers quarterback for that one.

The Steelers have been trying to replace Roethlisberger since his retirement follwing the 2021 season. And it looks like neither Wilson nor Fields will be the one. Both quarterbacks are free agents after this season and while the organization appears disillusioned with Fields, according to one Steelers insider journalist, the team will likely pass on Wilson as well.

“I think the word that was told to me, that I always use, is the intention on both sides to do another deal,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reporter Gerry Dulac revealed on Monday. “But I don’t think that is going to happen.”

Predicted Steelers Low-Risk Trade For High-Upside QB

So what now? The Steelers hold the 21st pick in the draft and could hope a quality quarterback falls to that spot. But Andrew Vasquez of the USA Today Steelerswire site made a prediction over the weekend of a low-risk trade that could have a major upside for Pittsburgh. Vasquez said the Steelers should send a sixth-round pick to New England for the Patriots’ 2024 sixth-round pick, rocket-armed QB “Bazooka” Joe Milton.

The 24-year-old, 6’5″, 246-pound Milton — whose full name is actually Joe Milton III — played three years at Michigan and another three at Tennessee appearing in 43 college games and tossing 37 touchdowns. But there were questions about “Milton’s accuracy, timing, and pocket presence,” according to Patriots.com columnist Evan Lazar. “Milton would often lose control of his arm cannon, be late in his progressions, and get robotic at times in the pocket, which would impact his accuracy and pocket movement.”

Patriots May Ask For 2nd or 3rd Round Pick For Milton

None on those issues were on display, however, when Milton made his head-turning pro debut on January 5 against an admittedly depleted Buffalo Bills team. Still, Milton “showed real progress with his drop-back footwork and accuracy, registering a +22.5% completion percentage over expectation, the second-highest mark by a QB in any game this season,” Lazar wrote.

Perhaps most impressive, on a roll-out as he was forced out of the pocket, Milton sidearmed the second-fastest pass ever recorded by an NFL quarterback, almost 62 mph (61.7 to be exact).

Though Steelerswire writer Vasquez said a sixth-round pick would be sufficient to nab Milton from the Patriots, his USA Today colleague at Patriotswire, Jordy McElroy feels that the Patriots should aim as high as a second or even third rounder — which “would be a major win for the team,” McElroy wrote. “Perhaps a team is even desperate enough to tack on one or two late-rounders in there as well.”