Denver Broncos wide receiver Courtland Sutton is rooting for Russell Wilson in Pittsburgh. He believes his former quarterback was just dealt a bad hand in Denver.
“That was a tough pill to swallow. You see the writing on the wall, I think they made a business decision moving Russ,” Sutton said on the DNVR Sports Podcast. “I’m so happy for Russ. For him to get picked up as soon as he did, I think it speaks to the caliber of player he is. I think it speaks to the caliber of person he is, and the way he goes about his work and business. I think that’s something Pittsburgh saw and ultimately knew they couldn’t pass up on.”
Ironically, Sutton has been linked as a trade candidate to the Steelers throughout the offseason, as he held out of OTAs due to a contract dispute. He confirmed on the show that he’ll attend mandatory minicamp. He said it was killing him not to be there and that he is watching Broncos tape from OTAs to familiarize himself with rookie quarterback Bo Nix.
Things just didn’t work out for Wilson in Denver. His relationship with head coach Sean Payton was described as toxic. There were also reports that Wilson wasn’t a good teammate. Judging by Sutton’s comments, it seems like that narrative is false.
“I think he’s going to have a lot of success. I think Russ is going to continue to build his Hall of Fame legacy. I say that very boldly because I think he gets a bad rap from a few different things that didn’t go the way we wanted them to go,” Sutton said. “I think that the quarterback position gets hit the hardest because that’s the guy that controls everything that goes on with the offense. When we as an offense weren’t doing very well, I think he caught the wrath of it.”
Wilson has been nothing but a leader since arriving in Pittsburgh. Justin Fields raved about Wilson’s leadership at OTAs on Thursday.
“It’s been great just learning from him every day,” he said. “Just how detailed he is with everything. Just how he works. Everything he does. The way he acts around his teammates. He’s been great. A great teammate to me. A great mentor to me so it is awesome to have a guy like Russell in the room. You get to learn from him and kind of pick his brain on some stuff.”
Wilson will return to the Mile High City to face his former team in Week 2.
