The Pittsburgh Steelers have improved significantly since quarterback Russell Wilson took over in Week 7. Since then, he and the Steelers have gone 6-1, making their overall record 10-3, and the future looks bright. He’s performed so much better than expected that many media members who predicted he was too old or too washed up to be effective in the Steel City, have had to eat their words and admit they were wrong.
Former Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was asked about Wilson “getting his flowers” from the media. The former two-time Super Bowl winner said it is well deserved, as Wilson has delivered far beyond the expectations of many. While talking about Wilson with Randy Baumann and the DVE Morning Show on 102.5 WDVE, he was asked about his early expectations of Wilson.
“I was not as concerned as other people,” explained Roethlisberger. “I think just the narrative that came ahead of him was the narrative that Denver was pushing out there, whether it was Sean Payton or whatever it was, was the issue. I felt like Russ had it.”
Roethlisberger said he was at the recent game, where the Steelers beat the Cleveland Browns 27-14. Wilson recently turned 36, and Roethlisberger, who played until he was 39, said that many changes in his game are age-related and normal.
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Steelers’ Ben Roethlisberger embraces Najee Harris.
He added that it was another challenge for Wilson to combat the media’s stories about him as a person, which overshadowed his talent. While there were some rumblings when Wilson left the Seattle Seahawks that he was a “diva,” those rumors escalated substantially when he was with the Denver Broncos. After the Broncos hired Head Coach Sean Payton, the situation got even worse. Payton appeared unhappy to be stuck with Wilson and could be seen screaming at him on the sidelines.
“What he went through in Denver and them paying him essentially to not be there and paid him a lot of money not to be there is crazy,” said Roethlisberger. “That obviously set its own storyline ahead of him getting here. As you get older, you’re not seeing Russ do the things he did in Seattle, where he was extending plays for long periods of time and utilizing his legs. Listen, he still has it between the ears. He’s still a very smart football player. He still has an arm. He can still throw the ball down the field, and he can do enough with his legs, like we saw last week, where he can scramble to get a couple yards and get out of pressure.”
Since his first game in Pittsburgh, Wilson has managed to spread the ball around and get numerous receivers involved. In the win over the Cincinnati Bengals, he hit 10 different targets. In his first seven games, Wilson completed 138 passes for 1,784 yards with 12 touchdowns and only three interceptions.
ALYSA RUBIN / PITTSBURGH STEELERS
Steelers’ Russell Wilson celebrates after throwing a touchdown against the Bengals.
The Steelers will need Wilson to continue to spread the ball around the field accurately and without mistakes to get through these next three games, especially if George Pickens misses a lot of time.
Steelers Have A Big Decision To Make This Offseason
Many felt the Steelers should have stuck with Justin Fields after his strong start to the season. However, Wilson has won over most of his critics with his performance so far. This has raised the question of whether the 2025 quarterback is on the current roster.
While Fields seems like an obvious solution as a strong player to groom for the future, Wilson has been so effective that it is hard to imagine them not trying to keep him. The question will be if the Steelers and Wilson can come up with a contract that is amenable to both. It seems unlikely that Pittsburgh can keep both, and it also seems likely that both will have other teams knocking on their doors.
TAYLOR OLLASON / PITTSBURGH STEELERS
Steelers’ Justin Fields against the Ravens.
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