Russell Wilson’s time with the Pittsburgh Steelers probably isn’t starting how he wanted it to, but this injury he has seems like it’s only a minor bump in the road. Justin Fields has had flashes in training camp, but he hasn’t looked improved enough to take the pole position from Wilson. As long as this injury doesn’t get any worse, Wilson should step right back into the starting job as soon as he’s healthy. However, former offensive lineman Mark Schlereth believes that if Wilson does lose the quarterback battle to Fields, it could fatally damage his career’s reputation.
Schlereth was an offensive lineman in the NFL from 1989 to 2000, making two Pro Bowls and winning three Super Bowls. Now, he hosts a podcast called the Stinkin’ Truth, and on a recent episode, he had some tough words for Wilson after seeing the quarterback’s comments about the Steelers having 21 games to play.
“He goes, ‘We just gotta win 21 games.’ It was 17, you guys got 17 games scheduled,” Schlereth said of Wilson’s proclamation. “‘No, no, we got 21. Maybe 20 if we win the number one seed overall.’ Does anybody wanna hear that? If at some point he gets usurped by Justin Fields, his Hall of Fame campaign is over.”
That’s a pretty bold statement to make about a quarterback that’s won a Super Bowl, is top 20 in passing yards all time, and also 13th in career passing touchdowns. He’s also made nine Pro Bowls and been named Second-team All-Pro once. Wilson hasn’t been good the past few years, but making the Hall of Fame is about a total body of work. Is anything he does in Pittsburgh going to affect that?
Wilson is 35 and playing for as little money as a quarterback can play for. When he signed with the Steelers, no one expected him to take them to the Super Bowl. He should be an upgrade on what they had at quarterback last year, so they should make the playoffs. If they manage to do that and win a playoff game, Wilson’s tenure as a Steeler should be labeled a success.
If he gets injured or can’t stave off Fields for the entire season, though, that shouldn’t automatically disqualify him from the Hall of Fame. His case isn’t a lock, and he probably won’t make it in during his first year of eligibility, but he’ll always be in the conversation. Not many quarterbacks have led a team to back-to-back Super Bowls, and although he lost the second one, that’s still impressive.
Schlereth has made it clear before that he doesn’t like Wilson, and that he doesn’t think he’s very good anymore. However, that shouldn’t take away all that he’s accomplished. The bottom line is that Wilson will have a case for the Hall of Fame at some point, no matter how his time in Pittsburgh goes. Unless he wins the Super Bowl or loses the job immediately to Fields, this year will more than likely just end up as a footnote in his career.
