This day, Sept. 15, has likely been circled on Russell Wilson’s calendar ever since the schedule was released in May. He isn’t the type to say these things publicly, but you can be sure that he wanted to prove to the Denver Broncos that they made the wrong decision moving on from him after the 2023 season.
Not only did they move on from him, but they are paying him almost $40 million not to play for them.
Unfortunately, Wilson’s calf injury kept him out of the would-be revenge game, but Justin Fields managed to defeat the Broncos on his behalf. He was asked if he wanted to get the win for Wilson during his media availability posted on the Steelers’ YouTube page.
“Yeah, I mean, I think we all know Russ got kind of did dirty last year,” Fields said. “I know he wished he could have played today in this game, but it’s awesome getting the win for him. He got a petty game ball, so it’s great getting a dub for Russ for sure.”
Wilson’s two-year stint with the Broncos was a disaster, no doubt, but he was actually pretty good in 2023. He was 7-8 in his 15 starts, but that included five-straight wins against the Green Bay Packers, Kansas City Chiefs, Buffalo Bills, Minnesota Vikings, and Cleveland Browns. He knocked off four playoff teams during that stretch.
It was in the midst of that winning streak that Wilson was asked to adjust his contract or be benched. The Broncos ultimately did bench him over the final two games, which was the beginning of the end of his tenure in Denver.
That was after a 66.4 completion percentage, 3,070 passing yards, and 26 touchdowns to just 8 interceptions. It wasn’t the kind of performance you would expect from a quarterback getting that much guaranteed money, but it also is far from the type of performance that warrants what happened to him in Denver.
It was because of Denver’s decision that the Steelers were able to sign Wilson for just $1.21 million with the Broncos picking up the rest of the tab. Even with Wilson not playing today, it has to feel pretty sweet to be on a 2-0 team while his former team sits at 0-2.
