At the beginning of March, it was hard to imagine that Russell Wilson would be suiting up for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Yet, not only is Wilson in Pittsburgh after signing with the team, but he appears rejuvenated. In his own words, he is ‘revived in every way’ after his unsuccessful stint with the Denver Broncos.
"Man, I feel the fountain of youth,” Wilson said. “I feel revived in every way, mentally, emotionally, spiritually. I feel confident. I think at some point you have to know who you are as a player, as a man, as a competitor. As somebody who’s been fortunate to be able to play this game, I don’t doubt it. I trust it. I felt really good last year playing. I felt really confident in the midst of everything. And so I think right now I have all that confidence times 10.”
To Wilson’s credit, he appears more motivated and enthused by the idea of turning over a new page in the book of his storied career. Back with the Seattle Seahawks, Wilson carved out what appeared to be a future Hall of Fame career. He won a Super Bowl and played like a perennial top quarterback in the NFL.
That is why the stark dropoff in Denver became so startling. The Broncos decided to sink the cost of Wilson’s massive deal and released him, allowing him to sign with the Steelers. But signing in Pittsburgh was anything but a sure thing. Steelers stars Cam Heyward, T.J. Watt and Minkah Fitzpatrick recruited Wilson relentlessly.
But it was Heyward’s pitch that drove Wilson to Pittsburgh for the right reasons. Often under the bright lights as a celebrity, Wilson has always been surrounded by flashiness, but singing with the Steelers is the opposite. Suitors for Wilson included the New York Giants, Las Vegas Raiders and Atlanta Falcons. Those destinations have far more flash and sizzle than Pittsburgh. However, Wilson bought into Heyward’s mentality.
“I told him (Pittsburgh) isn’t the place for glitz and glamour. It’s not L.A., it’s not Atlanta. This is the place where gladiators come, and we’re gonna compete every day. He was receptive to that. He wanted to compete,” Heyward said on The Up and Adams Show. “He’s so detail-oriented. He does the little things and it’s really benefited our young guys. Just picking up that knowledge at an early age. He’s going to unlock a lot of things, not just for him, but for the team.”
Wilson is set to enter a quarterback competition with the newly acquired Justin Fields. This could be the rebirth of Wilson, or it could continue the crash from his heights in Seattle. The Steelers are banking on it being the former.
