When the Pittsburgh Steelers signed QB Russell Wilson, a lot of things happened. It led to the Steelers trading Kenny Pickett to the Philadelphia Eagles. It also led to a number of people circling one of the Steelers’ 2024 opponents: the Denver Broncos.
Steelers fans weren’t the only ones highlighting that matchup, either. NFL.com writer Adam Rank put out his list of the best revenge games in 2024, and the potential matchup between Wilson and his former team made the list.
“There is no way the NFL could send Russell Wilson to face his former team to open the season on Monday Night Football again, could it?” Rank wrote. “That could be the funniest thing ever, and I sort of hope it happens. For one, it would give Russ another chance right out of the gate to defeat his former team at their place, which he wasn’t able to do against the Seattle Seahawks two years ago. Also, the schedule-makers might want to consider doing this matchup early in the season, because Justin Fields could end up being the Steelers’ starter at some point in 2024.”
The Broncos decided they would carry an NFL record amount of dead cap in 2024 rather than have Wilson on their team. So Wilson and the Steelers came to an agreement where Wilson would play for the veteran minimum in 2024, and the potential for what Rank says “could be the funniest thing ever” was born.
Now there are questions about when or if Fields will start for the Steelers this season. Rank acknowledges that Fields could become the starter at some point during the season, hence why he thinks the NFL should schedule the matchup earlier in the season.
If Jason La Canfora and others like him are right, this revenge game might never occur. La Canfora thinks that Fields will be the starter in Week 1 unless he has “a catastrophic preseason”. If that’s the case (and Fields starts the entire season,) there will be no revenge game for Wilson versus the Broncos.
However, the opportunity for Wilson to go back to Denver and beat his former employer on Monday Night Football would be amazing television. Which the NFL should lean into, right?
Rank also highlighted another revenge game that features the Steelers: Patrick Queen’s matchup against the Baltimore Ravens. Rank called the rivalry “the NFL’s version of the rivalry between Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels.” He even called Queen signing with the Steelers “kind of a superkick in this series.”
There is no question that Queen wants to prove himself as a standout linebacker in his own right, and the first time these two teams line up against each other will be a great opportunity to do that. However, it doesn’t have quite the same revenge factor as Wilson v.s the Broncos.
