Days before the beginning of the new 2024 league year, Russell Wilson sent shock waves through the NFL when he announced he would join the Pittsburgh Steelers. Within a matter of a week, the Steelers quarterback room was completely made over. In a recent interview with Hannah Storm ESPN, Wilson revealed what sold him on Pittsburgh.
When the Denver Broncos informed Wilson of their intent to release Wilson with a Post-June 1 designation, Wilson knew what situation he wanted to walk into next.
“I wanted to be in the right place, with the right guys. You got to go earn it every day. You got to go do it every day.” Wilson told Hannah Storm of ESPN when discussing his next opportunity after Denver.
ONLY ONE CALL AWAY
The Steelers were one of the first teams to reach out to Wilson. It didn’t take long for him to talk to key figures in the organizations. Slowly but surely, Pittsburgh was becoming where he wanted to be.
“My first call was with Mike Tomlin and Omar [Khan] … early in the morning about 730 in the morning on the West Coast. I got to talk to those guys for a while—about an hour and a half.” Wilson told Storm when discussing how things began to materialize.
Wilson’s connection with Tomlin was instant. He pointed to their love for the game right off the bat.
“I think Coach Tomlin and I have the same vision of ball, the love for the game and the passion behind it, the obsession with it.” Wilson described their connection over the game.
After extensive conversations with Cameron Heyward, T.J. Watt, and Minkah Fitzpatrick, Wilson told his wife Ciara what he was thinking.
“I told [Ciara] I knew where I was going.”
LEGENDS OF THE GAME
Wilson described what ultimately sold him to Pittsburgh in one word: legends.
“When you get to talk to legends of the game, guys like Mike Tomlin, Cam Heyward … T.J. Watt, a young legend in Minkah Fitzpatrick, you know those guys they share a lot of energy, a lot of thought process, and a lot of meaning behind every day.”
Wilson knew, though, that nothing was guaranteed. He was prepared to earn his role and even prove doubters wrong.
“The best things in life are unknown. I think sometimes the most rewarding are the spaces and places that people doubt.” Wilson said when facing not knowing where he’d end up and the doubts around him. “Maybe [people] fear [the unknown] … maybe other people don’t believe in it for you … my football career has been that too, partially.”
So far, not only has Pittsburgh been a fit, but Wilson has begun to prove the doubters wrong. He has shown flashes of what made Denver trade for him in 2022 while elevating the Steelers’ offense. It’s a small sample size of three games, however, Wilson’s shared mindset with those he described as legends could put the Steelers in a prime position to make noise in the postseason.
