Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson said at his introductory press conference in Pittsburgh today that several teams were interested in signing him in free agency.
Wilson did not name those teams, but he said picking Pittsburgh was easy because he loves everything about the team and wants to help the franchise win its seventh Lombardi Trophy.
“I was fortunate to have several teams call, but this was the place I wanted to be,” Wilson said. “To be a Pittsburgh Steeler, to wear the black and gold, it’s a true honor, it’s tradition, it’s history. There’s six trophies in there. We’re coming to get a seventh.”
Wilson noted that he had never been a free agent before and liked the process of hearing from coaches and general managers around the league, and that the Steelers had the best offer in terms of putting him in a place where he thinks he can win.
“When I had an opportunity to be a free agent, when Denver allowed me to speak with teams, it was the first time I had ever gone through that process,” Wilson said. “There were a few things that just jumped off the board about the Pittsburgh Steelers.”
Wilson has played at Pittsburgh twice, winning both games as the Seahawks’ starting quarterback, and he said he loves the passion for football he feels in the Steel City.
“The atmosphere, walking into the stadium, the energy, the towels,” Wilson said. “I love this game because it’s the greatest team sport there is.”
Now Wilson is the leader of a new team in Pittsburgh.
