PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Steelers are going to let Russell Wilson cook.
Coach Mike Tomlin announced the nine-time Pro Bowler as the starter on Wednesday, putting an end to a largely perfunctory quarterback competition with Justin Fields in which the 35-year-old Wilson held the “pole position” as Tomlin put it for months and did little to cede ground to Fields.
“It was a difficult decision, but not difficult in a negative way,” Tomlin said. “The decision was difficult because of what they’re capable of doing.”
Wilson will be the fourth different Week 1 starting quarterback in as many seasons for the Steelers, who have bounced from Ben Roethlisberger to Mitch Trubisky to Kenny Pickett and now to Wilson, who flamed out in two seasons in Denver but practically sprinted to Pittsburgh in hopes of reviving his career.
“I came here to help us win,” Wilson said. “That’s the focus.”
The Steelers revamped their offence in the off-season, flipping the quarterback room entirely and hiring former Atlanta head coach Arthur Smith as offensive co-ordinator.
Wilson, who signed a one-year deal on the first day of free agency, will be tasked with trying to goose up production for a unit that is the main reason Pittsburgh has failed to win a playoff game in eight years, the franchise’s longest drought since the “Immaculate Reception” in 1972.
That dry spell is one of the reasons the Steelers made such an abrupt shift at the most important position on the field. Tomlin and general manager Omar Khan said repeatedly over the winter that they were all-in on Pickett, a first-round pick in 2022.
Things changed quickly — very quickly — after Wilson was brought in to provide competition. Pittsburgh traded Pickett hours after bringing in Wilson. The Steelers then acquired Fields, who endured three uneven seasons in Chicago.
While Fields is a decade younger and is far more mobile Wilson, Wilson provides experience, an ability to take care of the ball and a reputation as one of the best big-game quarterbacks of his generation.
“Russ’ resume is a unique one in terms of length and success,” Tomlin said. “That tends to play a factor in the decision-making, not from a decision-making perspective, that’s just the fruit of his labour. He’s seen a lot and done a lot and I think it was reflected in the way he played and conducted himself.”
A calf injury slowed Wilson during training camp, giving Fields more practice reps with the starters.
Tomlin’s decision to play coy fueled idle speculation that Fields had a chance to supplant Wilson, but the reality is Tomlin placed Wilson atop the depth chart to start training camp and Fields never came close to unseating him.
The competition such as it was ended in Detroit last Saturday when Wilson led a quick four-play touchdown drive that included a pretty 26-yard flip to George Pickens.
Fields, who like Wilson has said and done all the right things since coming to Pittsburgh, could be featured in certain packages to take advantage of his skillset.
Wilson’s numbers were solid in Denver last season. He threw for 26 touchdowns against eight interceptions and remained effective in the red zone. Yet he clashed with Broncos coach Sean Payton, so much so that Denver opted to move on from the potential Hall of Famer just 18 months after trading for him and signing him to a massive $242 million extension.
The Broncos were so eager to replace Wilson they willingly ate the $39 million they still owed him in 2024, a decision that let the Steelers bring Wilson in for the veteran minimum.
There’s plenty at stake for Wilson, Fields and the Steelers. Pittsburgh currently has no quarterback under contract for 2025 after declining to pick up Fields’ fifth-year option.
While Wilson will run out with the starters in Atlanta on Sept. 8, nothing after that is guaranteed. Only once in the past decade has the same quarterback started every game in a given season.
Last year, Pittsburgh shuffled through Pickett, Trubisky and Mason Rudolph, with Rudolph leading an unlikely charge to the postseason after taking over in December.
Pittsburgh’s stay in the playoffs, however, was short-lived. The Steelers were handled easily by the Bills in the opening round, leading to some soul-searching that ended with one of the NFL’s most stable franchises making a series of bold moves in search of a spark.
Wilson will get a chance to provide it as he tries to put a forgettable chapter in his decorated career firmly in the rearview mirror.