Not only could Russell Wilson be on a new team in 2025, he might have a new personal quarterbacks trainer, too. Former NFL QB Jake Heaps had served as Wilson’s trainer and coach for years, following him to Denver and Pittsburgh while leading as the Director of Operations for Wilson’s Passing Academy. Wednesday night, Legend High School in Colorado announced Heaps had been named the school’s new head coach.
Wilson was quick to offer congratulations.
Undrafted out of Miami (FL) in 2015, Heaps signed with the New York Jets. He quickly found himself in Seattle for the 2016 season, returning again after a brief CFL stint for 2017. He never appeared in a game and didn’t always last long on the roster, a three-month stint in 2017, but he formed a quick relationship with Wilson. After hanging up his cleats later that year, he became a radio personality in Seattle and stayed in touch with Wilson. In June of 2022, Heaps left the media scene to become Wilson’s dedicated quarterback coach.
“As we all know, Russell Wilson was traded and when this happened I knew that my two careers that were perfectly aligned here in Seattle had become complicated,” Heaps said in his announcement via KSL Sports leaving his radio station. “Speaking honestly, I’ve spent the past few months working through how to make both of those work, but it became clear that it just wasn’t going to be possible. I have resigned to pursue a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to coach Russell Wilson full-time and develop the next generation of quarterbacks.”
When Wilson signed a one-year deal with Pittsburgh, Heaps followed him. He was occasionally spotted during Hard Knocks, including one segment that showed Wilson preparing away from the team facility. Here’s what we wrote in our recap of Episode 3.
“– Wilson walked through his weekly preparation schedule, working with personal QBs Coach Jake Heaps along the way.
‘I want to have the cut-ups and the film and everything else so I can get my cut-ups and studying done on Monday and Tuesday. So I can really dive into the details of the game plan Wednesday through Saturday.'”
Of course, Wilson still worked with the Steelers’ coaching staff, primarily QBs Coach Tom Arth and OC Arthur Smith, but Heaps helped give him an edge.
Presumably, Heaps will be exiting as Wilson’s coach to undergo his full-time duties leading the school. It’s not clear if Wilson will hire a replacement or go without a personal coach. It could be one of many changes Wilson deals with this offseason should the Steelers opt against re-signing him, though he’s expressed a desire to return and no decision by the team has been made. According to Jay Glazer, however, Wilson’s odds of returning are slim.
