Sometimes NFL players get traded or sign with a team and it doesn’t work out. There’s an endless list of reasons why this happens, but it usually ends in one of two ways. Either the player and team part amicably, with both parties moving on, or it’s a dirty affair with a ton of mudslinging, starting a feud that may never end. The Steelers have only recently started making bigger moves to bring players in, so some fans may not have much experience with this, but they’ll certainly get a lesson in it when the Steelers play the Broncos this season.
For whatever reason, Russell Wilson and Sean Payton did not jell in Denver. Wilson actually didn’t play his worst football in his lone season with Payton, but Denver still didn’t think he was worth keeping at his massive price tag, which is understandable. However, there has been quite a bit of mud thrown Wilson’s way this offseason, with some even speculating that Payton is behind some of the bad publicity being put out there.
On a recent episode of GoJo and Golic, former NFL player Mike Golic Sr. lists the Steelers’ Week 2 matchup against the Broncos as his most anticipated reunion of the season, providing some insight from a guy who played in a couple different spots in his career.
“As I’ve always said whether it’s amicable or not, whenever you play a former team, now it’s not like Russell had been there forever, but it was not good, so he’s probably going to get booed by the crowd there. Players want to show the team, the coach and management, you made a mistake. I even did that when I went to Philly from Miami as a free agent,” Golic said about when he left the Eagles in 1993. “When I went to Miami, we went back to play Philly, and there’s just that little more in your motor that wants to get you going to say, ‘You know what, you should’ve kept me here.’ So with Russell Wilson, you’re human, man. He is gonna want to show, ‘Listen, I’m still the guy that [I] especially [was] in Seattle.’”
It won’t take long to see whether Golic is right. The Steelers play the Broncos in just their second regular season game, and odds are high he’s right on the money. In fact, Wilson has been in a situation like this already, as he played the Seahawks during his first season with the Broncos. It was his first game as a Bronco, and they lost to the Seahawks by just one point. Don’t think Wilson has forgotten what that felt like. He’ll want to do everything in his power to not repeat history with the Steelers.
Fans love “revenge games” like this because of all the drama and extra motivation that goes into it, but most of the time, it’s just another game for everyone involved. There are the select few that do have real animosity, like Ben Roethlisberger wanting to torch the Browns for passing on him in the draft. Wilson will want to win this game for a million reasons, but Payton and the team no longer wanting him may top the list. Never underestimate an athlete’s ability to hold a grudge, especially one who has achieved as much as Wilson. Week 2 in Denver can’t get here fast enough.
