“From Seahawks Glory to Steelers Gamble: Can Russell Wilson Bounce Back in Pittsburgh?”
The Pittsburgh Steelers have experienced the challenges of moving on from a Hall-of-Fame quarterback. Three years after Ben Roethlisberger’s retirement, they brought in Russell Wilson, who has struggled after two difficult seasons with the Denver Broncos.
Wilson, now 35, shared a workout video on social media on Saturday, featuring Kendrick Lamar’s “Count Me Out” and a clock emoji.
During his time in Denver, Wilson had a 13-21 record. He completed 63.3% of his passes, threw 42 touchdowns, 19 interceptions, and averaged 219.8 passing yards per game. Although his performance was decent, it didn’t match his impressive career with the Seattle Seahawks. In Seattle, Wilson won Super Bowl XLVIII, led the league with a 110.1 passer rating in 2015, and had 34 passing touchdowns in 2017. Over ten years, he completed 65% of his passes, with 292 touchdowns and 87 interceptions, maintaining a 3.36 TD-INT ratio.
Wilson remains optimistic about regaining his form. During June minicamp, he expressed feeling rejuvenated and confident.
A change of environment can sometimes help a player recover from a slump. Denver’s coaching instability, with three coaches in two seasons, didn’t benefit Wilson. Pittsburgh, however, has had Mike Tomlin as head coach since 2007, never experiencing a losing season. With the addition of offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, who previously led successful offenses with the Tennessee Titans, Wilson has a solid support system.
Wilson acknowledges the ups and downs, believing that difficult experiences prepare him for future success.