Russell Wilson didn’t come out Friday and say he expects to be the starting quarterback in Pittsburgh.
Considering the lengths the Steelers went to woo the nine-time Pro Bowler and Super Bowl champion — including the stunning decision to move on from the player Wilson was supposed to compete against — he didn’t have to.
Well before Pittsburgh agreed to trade Kenny Pickett to Philadelphia just hours after Wilson was introduced, the team had laid the groundwork to make sure Wilson would be behind center for the 2024 opener.
Longtime Steelers defensive captain Cam Heyward reached out to Wilson earlier this month after the Denver Broncos told Wilson they were cutting him before the new league year began.
The next day, what was supposed to be a 15-20 minute videoconference with Pittsburgh head coach Mike Tomlin stretched to an hour and a half, with star safety Minkah Fitzpatrick interrupting to playfully jaw back and forth with a rival turned potential teammate.
Then All-Pro outside linebacker T.J. Watt chimed in, outlining his goal to be the best in the world at what he does every day he comes to work.
All capped by an extended meeting last Friday in which Wilson walked by the six Lombardi Trophies that greet visitors to the Steelers’ offices and before taking a tour of a city that, as Wilson put hours after signing a one-year deal with the club “has won a lot.”
Only not enough of late, the primary reason the Steelers felt compelled to bring in Wilson, believing there’s more than enough football left in the 35-year-old to help Pittsburgh end a playoff victory drought that’s at seven years and counting.
Wearing a black blazer and black T-shirt highlighted by a gold chain, Wilson used the word “win” 18 times over the course of 20 minutes, with Tomlin and general manager Omar Khan occasionally nodding approval while standing just a few feet away.
Asked if he has arrived in Pittsburgh with a chip on his shoulder following two mostly bumpy years in Denver — a stretch in…
Source link : https://www.foxsports.com/stories/nfl/russell-wilsons-feels-like-he-has-something-to-prove-with-the-steelers
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Publish date : 2024-03-15 22:00:35
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