PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson has played 13 seasons in the NFL and has made connections with coaches along the way.
Dallas Cowboys new head coach Brian Schottenheimer coached Wilson for three seasons, 2018-20, when he played for the Seattle Seahawks, serving as the team's offensive coordinator.
Wilson had success under Schottenheimer, going 33-15 as a starter and making the playoffs and the Pro Bowl in all three seasons. He also threw for 11,770 yards, completed 67% of his passes and 106 touchdowns to 25 interceptions, while also rushing 225 times for 1,231 yards and five touchdowns.
His best season with Schottenheimer came in 2019, when he completed 341-of-516 passes, 66.1%, for 4,212 yards and 31 touchdowns to five interceptions, earning Second Team All-Pro honors.
Schottenheimer departed the Seahawks for the Jacksonville Jaguars under head coach Urban Meyer as a passing coordinator.
He then joined the Cowboys under head coach Mike McCarthy as a coaching analyst in 2022 and then served as the offensive coordinator the past two seasons.
Schottenheimer spoke on the "Let Russ Cook" meme/joke at the NFL Combine, that Seahawks fans used to chant, when he played in a more run-heavy offense under head coach Pete Carroll.
He said that he allowed Russ to do more than he previous coaches and that he wants a more balanced attack with the Cowboys,
"I got in trouble for letting Russ cook a little bit, back in Seattle," Schottenheimer said. "Some people got the joke, some didn't.
"But at the end of the day, you have to be able to run the football. I think we've made a commitment that we want to be great both sides of the line of scrimmage, that's a huge part of it..."
The Steelers signed Wilson to a one-year deal to the veteran's minimum, $1.2 million, back on March 15, 2024, which led to them trading 2022 First Round pick Kenny Pickett to the Philadelphia Eagles. They also landed fellow quarterback, Justin Fields in a trade with the Chicago Bears, giving them two quarterbacks for this season.
Wilson beat out Fields for the starting position in preseason, but re-aggravated a calf injury, which kept him out for most of this season.
He made his first start vs. the New York Jets at home in Week 7, throwing for 264 yards and two touchdowns in the 37-15 win.
Wilson had an incredible first seven starts for the Steelers, going 6-1, completing 64.8% of his passes for 1,784 yards and 12 touchdowns to three interceptions.
He and the Steelers struggled towards the latter end of the season, as he lost his final five starts, including the AFC Wild Card Round vs. the Baltimore Ravens.
Wilson is likely heading towards free agency, with the Steelers weighing their options at quarterback next season.
