CLEVELAND, Ohio — Former Browns safety Juan Thornhill faced Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson twice last season, and now he might have the chance to do it again.
But both may have swapped sides in the Turnpike Rivalry by then.
On Monday, Thornhill agreed to terms on a one-year deal with the Steelers, terms of which were not immediately disclosed. The Browns hosted Wilson, 36, on a free agent visit last week, and are considering signing him. The Giants also had him in a for a visit, and Steelers might re-sign him if they don’t land Aaron Rodgers.
Thornhill, 29, was heading into the final year of his three-year deal worth $7 million a year this season when the Browns released him Feb. 24th as a post-June 1 designation.
Plagued both seasons by a nagging calf injury that often flared up, Thornhill started only 11 of 17 games in each of the past two seasons and was never really himself. He’ll join a Steelers defense that finished 12th in the NFL in 2024.
Thornhill was signed by the Browns to the $21 million free agent deal in March of 2023, including $14 million guaranteed, and $8.5
Reached by cleveland.com when he was released, he responded [“probably best for us both”](https://www.cleveland.com/browns/2025/02/safety-juan-thornhill-says-the-browns-are-releasing-him.html) via text. A few days before his release, he posted on X “Greater things to come. One day at a time.”
Thornhill arrived in Cleveland to high expectations after he had started four seasons for the Chiefs, winning two of the three Super Bowls he played in, and grabbing eight interceptions, including three in 2022.
Thornhill managed no interceptions for the Browns in his two seasons, and only four passes defensed after 20 in Kansas City. But after the second last game of the season following Myles Garrett revealing that he might ask to be traded, Thornhill painted a rosy picture for the defense, which tumbled from No. 1 in 2023 to No. 19 last season.
“I definitely feel like the defense is solid,” he said. “We’ve got pieces everywhere, guys that make a lot of plays and if you look at the score, you feel like we might be playing bad, but if you actually take a step back and look at the stats of each quarterback that we’re playing, rushing yards and things like that, guys are struggling to move the ball on our defense. And that shows what kind of guys we have.
“We’ve got guys like Myles up front getting after the quarterback, linebackers that can cover ground, like the full 53 yards, and safeties and corners that can cover very well. So hopefully we can keep this thing together because I think we have a bright future for sure.”
The Browns have some good young safeties in Ronnie Hickman and D’Anthony Bell who will challenge for the starting job. Hickman, an undrafted free agent in 2023 out of Ohio State, has flashed starting potential. The Browns will also consider drafting a safety with one of their dozen draft picks after they’re awarded the anticipated three compensatory picks.
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