Russell Wilson was brought in ahead of the 2024 season. At the time, the Pittsburgh Steelers still had Kenny Pickett on the roster, but he hadn’t performed well enough to solidify the starting job, a theme that’s continued in Pittsburgh since Ben Roethlisberger retired a few years ago.
Things got off to a great start after Wilson took over in Week 7, but they didn’t last. The Steelers, especially on offense, fell apart, losing both the division and a playoff game to the Baltimore Ravens. Wilson’s offense struggled mightily during that time. Former NFL running back Merril Hoge noticed some similarities in Wilson that relate to his time with the Seattle Seahawks and Denver Broncos.
“I always get disturbed when ‘it’s not me, it’s everybody else,'” Hoge said, via audio from 102.5 WDVE. “That’s the history of Russell Wilson. At the end of the day, that’s some of the reason they ran him out of Seattle and Denver.”
Wilson began his career in Seattle, and he accomplished a lot of things there. He made it to the Super Bowl twice and won it once. His experience from those deep playoff runs is a large reason the Steelers felt comfortable bringing him in, as they hoped he could reverse their recent playoff fortunes.
Instead of elevating his team in the playoffs as he used to do in Seattle, Wilson fell into the rut that’s plagued the Steelers team as a whole over the past half decade. He did do some things well, but at the end of the day, his limitations were on full display as the Steelers stumbled toward the finish line.
“Russell Wilson is a limited quarterback with limited skills, but he has a really polished skill set if you could enhance that,” Hoge said. “And that means he’s a pick-it-or-stick-it guy, an either/or reader. He doesn’t go deep into his progressions, and he’s never done that. That’s why they’ve always had to move on. A guy that’s 5-10 with limited skills, that’s hard to win with.”
Wilson did some great things in Seattle, but his time there ended in a rough way. He and head coach Pete Carroll had different visions for the organization. That resulted in Seattle trading Wilson to the Denver Broncos where he ultimately was a shell of himself. His disappointing performance there is why Pittsburgh was able to bring him in for so cheap last offseason.
While they technically got their money’s worth, Wilson didn’t bring the Steelers closer to a Super Bowl, or even that playoff win that has eluded the franchise for too long. In the latter part of his 30s, Wilson isn’t the same player as he used to be.
All that said, Wilson re-signing with the Steeles is still a distinct possibility, especially since the 10-time Pro Bowler has said he wants to stay in Pittsburgh. Whether the Steelers prefer him or Justin Fields, they’ll need somebody to play quarterback next year. If Wilson returns, Pittsburgh needs to adjust to his limitations accordingly to have any more hope going into 2025.
