Former NFL wide receiver Steve Smith Sr. has never been afraid to speak his mind. And putting on his former Baltimore Ravens hat in a Wednesday interview, he thinks the Pittsburgh Steelers adding Russell Wilson would be the best thing for the rest of the AFC North.
“Good luck, buttercup, if you’re going to get Russell Wilson in Pittsburgh,” Smith said on NFL Total Access. “The AFC North, they’ve got three good teams. And if Russell Wilson is your guy, he does not make your team better as of right now based on the statistical outcome. And that’s my humble opinion.”
Steve Smith. Always the humble one.
But his point is well-taken. Some of Wilson’s stats look favorable. A quick look at his box score from 2023 shows production far better than what Pittsburgh’s gotten post-Ben Roethlisberger. He finished the year completing more than two-thirds of his passes for over 3,000 yards, 26 touchdowns, and only eight interceptions.
But he also finished the year on the bench. Over his final six games, he threw only eight touchdowns to four picks as the Broncos lost three of their last four games with him in the lineup, destroying their playoff chances. With an issue over guaranteed language, unproductive play, and too many negative outcomes (highlighted by 100 sacks over his last two years), head coach Sean Payton benched him for Jarrett Stidham.
Steve Smith says Wilson’s numbers don’t suggest a bright future.
“Let’s round up, 22 points a game,” he said of Denver’s production under Wilson. “That’s not championship-winning football.”
In 2022, the Broncos finished dead last in scoring average. In 2023, they finished 19th, scoring more than 24 points in just three games under Wilson. Pittsburgh’s searching for a jumpstart to their offense, ranking in the bottom half of the league in four of the last five years.
The AFC North is loaded with strong quarterback play. The Steelers need an arm capable of competing, but to Smith, Wilson won’t move the needle.
“If I’m a Baltimore Raven, I’m saying, ‘oh hells yeah.’ Bring him in. Bring him him. Have you not seen Russell Wilson over the last two years? Have you not seen what’s going on in the AFC North? You’ve got Joe Burrow…you’ve got Joe Flacco or Deshaun Watson in Cleveland. You’ve got two-time MVP Lamar Jackson.
“Now you got Russell Wilson in Pittsburgh? I don’t really see Russell Wilson right now based off his body of work, what he’s done in Denver over the last two years, that you’re sitting here saying, ‘Oh my gosh, the Pittsburgh Steelers just got much better.'”
In arguably football’s best division, the Steelers are looking to reclaim first place, something they haven’t done since 2020. If they don’t do so in 2024, it’ll make four straight years they haven’t. That’d make for their longest drought since a seven-year streak from 1985-1991.
Pittsburgh seems poised to give Kenny Pickett one final chance to prove himself. They’ll likely add a veteran to compete, someone like Mason Rudolph or Ryan Tannehill, but not somebody with the pedigree or resume of Wilson, who would be added as a sure-fire starter. Unless you believe Chad Johnson, who heard Wilson will come to Pittsburgh once Denver cuts ties with him by mid-March.
Even if Wilson has a bit of magic left, he turns 36 later this year. With declining mobility and overall play, the Steelers would be searching for their next starter in a year or two, anyway. Steve Smith might be brashly making his point, but it’s a solid point to make.
