Getting rid of Russell Wilson when they did will go down as one of the sharpest moves by any team in modern NFL history. As a couple other competitors around the league have since learned, this current version of Wilson is a far cry from the star he was early in his career and in his prime with the Seattle Seahawks.
This year the Denver Broncos will be paying Wilson $ 40 million to play for the Pittsburgh Steelers, who added both Wilson and Justin Fields after dumping their entire abysmal quarterback room from 2023. While Wilson is an upgrade over what they had last year, that’s an exceedingly low bar and Pittsburgh fans are already beginning to turn on him after a couple bad preseason games.
According to NBC Sports NFL analyst Chris Simms, Fields is a better fit for the Steelers and offers more both physically and emotionally.
Can’t make a full judgement from one preseason game, and both QBs have issues, but it sure seems like Justin Fields fits how the Steelers want to play better than Russell Wilson. Fields brings more to the table – physically and emotionally.
— Chris Simms (@CSimmsQB) August 19, 2024
Wilson came into the league back in 2012 a talented QB with go-for-broke instincts, but he never really grew out of his initial game.
While he made up for it in other ways, Wilson’s flaws were always apparent.
He held onto the ball too long, refused to take the singles that were available to him and insisted on holding out for a potential home run play. Wilson also never learned to step up into the pocket or target the middle of the field – his passing charts often looking like donuts. Wilson now no longer has the wheels that made him a rushing threat, nor can he escape nearly as easily from the pressures he walks himself into.
Truth is, Russell Wilson hasn’t actually been Russell Wilson since the firsth alf of the 2020 season and the Seahawks were the only ones who saw it. Fans shouldn’t be surprised if Fields winds up starting for the Steelers instead of Wilson at some point this year, perhaps as soon as Week 1.
