Do Russell Wilson and the Steelers have a future together?
Russell Wilson may have found a home.
His performance in the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 27-14 win over the Cleveland Browns on Sunday wasn’t superlative, but Wilson was utterly effective again, and his workmanlike stewardship of a football game has become a perfect fit with the Steelers’ overall culture.
After a gradual falling-out with the Seattle Seahawks and a total flameout with the Denver Broncos, Wilson is looking precisely like the veteran presence this franchise so desperately needed as it navigated life without Ben Roethlisberger. And there is every reason to believe that both he and Pittsburgh’s front office will want to extend their relationship beyond the one-year, $1.2 million pact they agreed to in the offseason.
Wilson has done everything the Steelers could have hoped for under the circumstances – protect the football, complement an elite defense, unlock the offense’s downfield passing game and handle all the extraneous duties that come with quarterbacking a storied club.
After years of stories about how the Seattle defense resented him, after the reports of special favors accorded him by overwhelmed coach Nathaniel Hackett in Denver and after no shortage of awkward moments from a quarterback once on a Hall of Fame path, Pittsburgh is bringing out the best in Wilson.
“It’s too early to even really be thinking about anything like this,” said one member of the Steelers’ staff, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a potential negotiation. “But it really makes a lot of sense, doesn’t it? For both sides. He’s been such a great fit here. Coach (Mike) Tomlin loves him. (Wilson) loves our quarterback coach. You can’t believe how great he is with (backup quarterback) Justin Fields. We heard all the stuff about whatever went on in Seattle and Denver, but he’s been a totally normal guy, a really likable teammate. He’s been fully committed to just being a part of this team.”
Wilson ran his record to 6-1 by beating the Browns, finding eight receivers in the process, which has not been uncommon. His only loss came on a Thursday night in the snow in Cleveland. This outing was more measured than most before it – fewer deep shots (with top wideout George Pickens a late scratch) and a heavier dose of runs (including by Wilson). Yet it also featured Wilson avoiding turnovers and sacks after the Browns battered him a few weeks ago and recording another passer rating above 100. He has topped that mark in five of his seven starts while also avoiding cringeworthy sound bites and corny catchphrases.
He has kind of flown under the radar, an anomaly in the late stages of his career, as has his wife, Ciara, who I’m told has wowed Pittsburgh staffers and their significant others with how well she has fit in.
“Part of winning is the culture, but it’s also our habits,” Wilson said after the win Sunday. “Success leaves clues. I think we are doing a good job of that.”
Am I alone in finding myself buying back in on this stuff? As someone who once spent an hour or so in a green room with Wilson after a Super Bowl pregame show talking about football, life and his goals and aspirations and who has had a pretty good feel for him throughout his career, I would be shocked if he doesn’t prioritize a return to Pittsburgh. Yes, there will be plenty of quarterback-needy teams. But Wilson is too savvy to want a sideshow with either New York franchise, the Las Vegas Raiders will draft a quarterback, and the New Orleans Saints don’t need another 36-year-old bridge starter.
Wilson has had his massive paydays. He wants to play into his 40s like Tom Brady did. There is a two- to three-year compromise waiting to happen between these sides. They should seize that opportunity, and I would be quite surprised if they do not.