The Steelers signed free agent quarterback Russell Wilson to a one-year contract.

Wilson, who will be entering his 13th NFL season, spent the last two years with the Denver Broncos following a trade from the Seattle Seahawks. Wilson spent the first 10 years of his career with the Seahawks after they drafted him in the third round of the 2012 NFL Draft.

"Super grateful to be here, obviously to be a Pittsburgh Steeler," said Wilson during his introductory press conference at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex. "It's a great tradition. To be able to compete and be able to go to work with these guys every single day is the gift of this game. Enjoying the process of it all. 

"The reason I wanted to come here is because I wanted to win championships with Coach (Mike) Tomlin and the guys in the locker room. We got some amazing players, guys like Cam Heyward, a guy who has been (Walter Payton) Man of the Year, a guy who has impacted so many. Got to talk to him for a little while during this process.  And then obviously Mr. T.J. Watt himself. Really should be defensive player, I don't know how many times, maybe third, fourth time could have won it. Just tremendous athlete, player, competitor. 

"Guys like Minkah (Fitzpatrick), George Pickens, and just so many other great players along the way. Got to see some guys like (Pat) Freiermuth and (Isaac) Seumalo in there. Great place to be. 

"Grateful for the opportunity to be able to get after it and do what we came here to do, and that's to win football games."

Wilson said he went through a full process before deciding to sign with the Steelers, which began with a zoom call and ended with him in black and gold. 

"When have the opportunity to be a free agent and go through that process, and when Denver allowed me to speak to teams and go through that process -- this is the first time I've ever gone through that process," said Wilson. "It kind of feels like you're at the Combine all over again in a way. Kind of going through the interview process with people and getting to meet people. 

"I think that there is a few things that just jumped off the board about the Pittsburgh Steelers. Number one, I got to play here. Played in Seattle in CenturyLink in 2015. Great game back and forth. It was just a battle all the way down to the wire. 

"I just remember the players that they had and just the competitors that we had at that time, and now it's just -- and then coming here in 2018 playing here, just the atmosphere, walking into the stadium, just the energy. 

"I remember the towels, Renegade, the whole thing. I remember the game coming down to the fourth quarter. Why I love this game because it's the greatest team sport there is. What winning looks like, it's all 22 pieces, and then you add the special teams as well, so really 33 plus more. All the people in the background you don't get to see. 

"When I got to talk to Cam Heyward, talked for an hour on FaceTime, and just it was a cool experience of a guy that has been at the top of his game for so long and also a man who has made a difference in community, a guy who has made a difference not just in Pittsburgh but around the country in all the things he's done. He solidified himself as one of the best players in the game. 

"I think also after that, the next day, next morning I got to talk it (General Manager) Omar (Khan), got to talk to Coach Tomlin on Zoom. It was supposed to be a 15-20 minute conversation, and next thing you know it's an hour and a half later. 

"I think that winning is a habit. Coach knows what those habits are like. That's what really fires me up. Omar, obviously he's done an amazing job of bringing this team together, and obviously our goal was to acquire some other great players.

"I was fortunate to have several teams call and all that, but this is the place I wanted to be, be a Pittsburgh Steeler and to wear the black and gold. It's a true honor, tradition, history. There's six trophies in there and we got to go get a seventh." 

In 12 seasons, Wilson has played in 188 games, starting all of them. He has led his teams to 116 regular season wins since 2012, ranking him first among active quarterbacks. He has completed 3,668 of 5,665 passes for 43,653 yards and 334 touchdowns. Wilson has started 16 postseason games, completing 275 of 451 passes for 3,786 yards with 25 touchdowns.

His 43,653 passing yards rank 19th on the all-time NFL list, one of only four active quarterbacks in the top 20. His 334 touchdowns rank 13th on the NFL's all-time touchdown list, and he reached 300 passing touchdowns in 168 games, seventh all-time. He also ranks second all-time, behind only Peyton Manning, for most touchdown passes in his first 12 seasons.

In addition, Wilson has 981 career rushes for 5,307 yards and 29 touchdowns. He also has five receptions for 21 yards and a touchdown. He is the only quarterback in the NFL to throw for 40,000 plus yards and rush for 5,000 plus yards for his career. His 5,307 rushing yards rank third among quarterbacks in NFL history.

Wilson has thrown for at least two touchdowns in a single game 103 times, placing him in third place all-time in that category behind Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady (who are tied at 108). He is tied for fourth all-time with Matthew Stafford for most games with three or more touchdowns, 46 games, since 2012.

The last two seasons with the Broncos Wilson started 30 games, completing 589 passes for 6,594 yards and 42 touchdowns. With two 3,000 plus yard seasons while in Denver, Wilson has thrown for at least 3,000 yards in all 12 of his NFL seasons.

During his time in Seattle, Wilson guided the Seahawks to eight playoff appearances, two Super Bowl berths, including a win in Super Bowl XLVIII.

Wilson is a nine-time Pro Bowl selection (2012-15, 2017-21), a second team Associated Press All-Pro selection (2019) and a former Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year recipient (2020). Wilson also received the Bart Starr Award in 2022, which honors a player for his outstanding character, integrity and leadership on and off the field.

Facts and Figures:

Posted career highs in completions (384), completion percentage (68.8), and touchdowns in 2020 and a career-high 4,219 passing yards in 2016.

Threw a career-low five interceptions in 2019.

When he led the Seahawks to a win in Super Bowl XLVIII, he became the third-youngest quarterback in NFL history to win the Super Bowl, leading Seattle to a 43-8 win over Denver.

In his first season, Wilson tied Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning for most touchdown passes by a rookie with 26. Wilson also became the first rookie in NFL history to lead his team to an undefeated home record.

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