The Pittsburgh Steelers only signed Russell Wilson to a veteran salary benefit deal so their financial stakes are low. Wilson is, however, a major personality, and that is a fact of which he is well aware. He came to the Steelers with the intention of restarting his career, but so far he is warming the bench.
While he only has his calf to blame for that, Russell Wilson surely understands that may change. If he continues to miss much more time and the Steelers continue to win with Justin Fields at quarterback while protecting the football, he could easily lose his starting job when healthy. That, believes Mike Florio, is where the Steelers may run into a bit of a problem—but a manageable one.
“The challenge is keeping Russell Wilson from activating his personal media machine in the event that he knows he’s ready to go and he’s frustrated about not playing,” Florio told Andrew Fillipponi and Chris Mueller yesterday on 93.7 The Fan. “That’s the only downside to this, but I think they know how to handle him in a way that will keep him from trying to make his case through his PR representatives, to reporters who would be pushing the agenda that, ‘Why did he come here? He should be traded’, whatever the case may be”.
A potential future Hall of Famer, Russell Wilson has been until recent years regarded as an elite quarterback. The Denver Broncos gave up a king’s ransom to trade for him in 2022 and then paid him another two years later to leave.
That is why he is with the Steelers now for a bargain basement price, but is he willing to play the good soldier if his ambitions fall by the wayside while he is on the sidelines? Florio believes the Steelers and head coach Mike Tomlin can manage that if necessary.
“I think that’s why they’re doing things like giving him the ‘petty game ball’”, he said. Perhaps to Tomlin’s chagrin, Justin Fields revealed on Sunday that Tomlin gives “petty game balls” to players who beat their former team. Not only did Russell Wilson receive one, so did P Corliss Waitman, and WR Brandon Johnson, who is on the practice squad.
“They’ll find another way to make you happy”, Florio said, likening it to a new title instead of a raise. “They’ll find ways to make Russell Wilson that will get him to want to stay. But he needs to play this year to set himself up to be a starter somewhere next year”.
Wilson is playing for his legacy at this point, and he knows that. He cannot afford to lose a starting job to Justin Fields because if he does, he may never start again in the NFL. The Steelers look like they can win with Fields, which also means they can win without Wilson.
Would Wilson dare use his media resources to leak stories about his health if the Steelers try to hedge? If he does, he could force their hands to declare Justin Fields the starter over him. I mean, he could try, but I don’t see it doing anything in his favor.
