LATROBE, Pa. — Russell Wilson’s 13th NFL season is nearly at hand, and his 36th birthday is four months away. The glory of his 10 seasons with the Seattle Seahawks, with his nine Pro Bowl selections and two Super Bowl appearances, gave way to two seasons of tumult with the Denver Broncos. Now, in the early days of his first training camp with the Pittsburgh Steelers, the tempting narrative is that Wilson is vying to reestablish himself among the league’s quarterbacking royalty.
But Wilson does not necessarily buy into that. To the extent that he ever left the ranks of the NFL’s most prominent quarterbacks, in his view, he already returned to them last season.
“I’m always trying to prove myself, my best version of me,” Wilson said following a recent practice. “You know, I felt like last year I was me again. The first year in Denver, I was hurt all year. And so I wasn’t healthy. I was playing through it all. But that’s what I believe us quarterbacks have to do. You have to be able to show up and lace up your cleats no matter what the circumstances are. But last year I felt like myself.”
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The numbers support Wilson’s contention. He was the NFL’s seventh-rated passer when Broncos Coach Sean Payton benched him in favor of Jarrett Stidham with two games remaining amid rancorous deliberations about Wilson’s contract. Wilson ended the season as the league’s eighth-rated passer after throwing for 3,070 yards and 26 touchdowns with eight interceptions; his passer rating of 98.0 was just below his career mark of 100.0.
“I normally throw about 30-plus touchdowns a year,” Wilson said. “I was right there before they, you know, sat me down. I know who I am. And I don’t question that. And I believe in that. And I work at it. That’s why. It’s not some mystical thing. It’s just the work. And I’ve got great teammates around me. And so I’m looking forward to this opportunity.”
According to Wilson and the NFL Players Association, the Broncos threatened in October to bench Wilson for the rest of the season if he did not agree to adjust his contract and address an injury guarantee tied to a $37 million offseason payment. The NFLPA told the Broncos and the NFL’s management council in a November letter from attorney Jeffrey Kessler that the team’s threat to bench Wilson if he did not agree to adjust his contract was illegal and violated the collective bargaining agreement. Lloyd Howell, the union’s executive director, said during Super Bowl week that the union believed the Broncos “mistreated” Wilson.
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The Broncos denied wrongdoing and said they benched Wilson for competitive reasons. They released Wilson in March and must pay all but $1.21 million of his $39 million salary for this season after the Steelers signed him to a minimum-salary contract. Wilson cited his “amazing, amazing friendships” with his former Broncos teammates but mostly steered clear last weekend of discussing the details of his exit from Denver.
“I don’t have anything to say but just I’m grateful for a new opportunity, focus on [going] forward,” Wilson said. “That’s how I’ve always been. I’m always forward. … And now it’s just another opportunity to go do what I love to do.”
Wilson chose the Steelers in free agency after also visiting the New York Giants. Wilson said he made his selection based on the “winning culture” of the Steelers, who have never had a losing season in Coach Mike Tomlin’s 17-year tenure. They reached the playoffs last season with Kenny Pickett, Mitchell Trubisky and Mason Rudolph making starts at quarterback.
All three are gone. The Steelers traded for Justin Fields in addition to signing Wilson, and Tomlin must choose a starter. Fields, the 2021 first-round draft choice who spent three uneven seasons with the Chicago Bears, ran the Steelers’ starting offense in the early days of training camp as Wilson worked his way back from a calf injury.
“I’m proceeding with extreme caution because we’re afforded that [at] this time of year,” Tomlin said. “And particularly because I’m just getting to know him. And so when you don’t have a background or relationship with somebody when you’re in my position, it’s just prudent when given the opportunity to kind of be a little bit cautious, to make sure a small problem doesn’t become a big one.”
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Whichever quarterback emerges as the starter will take charge of a team with established standouts on defense, from pass rusher T.J. Watt to lineman Cameron Heyward to safety Minkah Fitzpatrick to newly arrived linebacker Patrick Queen. The offense is more of a work in progress. Tomlin hired Arthur Smith, who was fired in January after a third straight 7-10 season as coach of the Atlanta Falcons, as his offensive coordinator. Much of the wide receiver corps is unproven. But it includes George Pickens, the gifted third-year pro who’s coming off his first 1,000-yard receiving season.
“He can be a top-five receiver in this league,” said wideout Van Jefferson, a Steelers newcomer.
Russell Wilson definitely doing the most he’s done in training camp so far. He just went through these agility drills and the end of the line, not going full speed. pic.twitter.com/1ptwuXE5Xj
— Brooke Pryor (@bepryor) July 28, 2024The offensive line should be bolstered by rookie tackle Troy Fautanu, chosen with the draft’s 20th pick out of Washington. The Steelers say they want to play a rugged style on offense, emphasizing tailbacks Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren.
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“We want to be the most physical offensive line unit,” Fautanu said. “We want people to watch our film and be afraid of us. That was the mindset that I had in college. … To be able to come into a room that’s kind of preaching the same message is pretty easy to kind of slide into and really buy in.”
Wilson said he wants to play “winning football,” no matter what offensive approach is emphasized.
“That’s to win, always, the turnover battle,” Wilson said. “I think that’s always to be able to score touchdowns down in the red zone, to be clutch. You’ve got to have that clutch gene. I love the fourth quarters. I love those moments like that. You’ve got a great defense, and you’ve got guys that know how to get to the quarterback, guys that can make plays. … We have a great opportunity. And we’ve got to go capitalize on that opportunity.”
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He said he still believes he can be a key part of a championship-caliber team.
“I definitely feel rejuvenated,” Wilson said. “But I also feel grateful. … That when I get to look back after it all and, you know, it’s all said and done, hopefully seven years from now … I’ll hopefully be able to say: ‘Man, we won this many Super Bowls and we did this. But we also went through some challenges and some ups and downs and peaks and valleys.’ … There’s been some unbelievable peaks, and there’s been some valleys. But, you know, the valleys allow you to build amazing relationships.”
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