Ranking the AFC North quarterbacks could be listed in several ways. Who is No. 1 — Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson or Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow? Most analysts would put Russell Wilson and the Pittsburgh Steelers in clear last place, but not Phil Simms.
In his outline of the AFC North passers, he puts Deshaun Watson and the Cleveland Browns in fourth. Wilson and the Steelers come in third.
“Russell Wilson, he got slapped around again,” Simms told son Matt Simms on the Bleav podcast. “His reputation and all that. Listen, it’s a big motivation when they count you out. ‘Oh, he doesn’t know how to get along with people.’ He still has talent. He’s got a good, strong arm. Can throw it down the field.”
Wilson was benched before Sean Payton’s first season with the Denver Broncos finished, then released in free agency. Though he says he’s not looking back, Wilson has plenty of motivation to succeed in 2024. Proving the Broncos made the wrong decision to pay nearly $40 million not to play Wilson, eating his dead money as Wilson signed with the Steelers for league minimum. And on a one-year deal, a bounce-back season would lead into a big pay day in 2025 and beyond.
Simms’ discussion revolved around the entire quarterback room, not just Wilson, and he briefly highlighted Justin Fields, too.
“Justin Fields, he got better as the year went along last year.”
Simms agreed with Chris Simms’ sentiment that Fields is the best running quarterback in football, even above Lamar Jackson. Simms compared Fields to the build and style of a running back, while there was at least a public conversation about using him on kick returns. That’s an unlikely possibility but one even NFL insiders say is worth consideration.
Choosing Pittsburgh in third place isn’t just about Wilson and Fields. For Simms, it’s also about the underwhelming impact the Cleveland Browns’ Deshaun Watson has had, who landed in fourth place on his list.
“What was he doing when he was healthy? He was playing out of control. We talked about it, it was really unbelievable. It was like he was out there mad at the world. And was going to try and beat everyone up on the defensive side. Which, when you try to do that as a quarterback, you lose…all the money, all the investment.”
Cleveland bet big on Watson, sending the Houston Texans a farm of draft picks in addition to fully guaranteeing all $230 million of his new contract. After serving a lengthy suspension, Watson has thrown just 14 touchdowns in 12 games with a sub-60 percent completion rate while being sacked 37 times (prorated to 52 times over a 17-game season). He missed most of 2023 with a season-ending shoulder injury.
Certainly relative to expectations and income, Watson is below the Steelers’ pairing. But judging them one-to-one might be a closer call. They’ll get to prove their rankings when Pittsburgh and Cleveland square off in Weeks 12 and 14.
