Russell Wilson Defended by Steelers Teammate: ‘He’s a Cool Guy, Very Genuine’

Adam WellsMarch 16, 2024

Dustin Bradford/Getty Images

It’s still early in their time together, but the vibes around Russell Wilson and the Pittsburgh Steelers are very good right now.

Speaking to The Athletic’s Mark Kaboly, an unnamed player on the Steelers roster had a positive assessment of Wilson.

“He’s a cool guy, very genuine,” the player said.

This is at least a nice change of pace for Wilson considering how badly things seemed to get at his previous two stops.

After being traded to the Denver Broncos in March 2022, some former members of the Seattle Seahawks had a lot to say about Wilson.

On Richard Sherman’s podcast, the outspoken former cornerback and K.J. Wright were unhappy about Wilson not being “held to the same accountability” as the rest of the Seahawks were.

The Volume @TheVolumeSports”He was not held to the same accountability as the rest of us”

—@KJ_WRIGHT34 and @RSherman_25 on how Russell Wilson received special treatment under Pete Carroll pic.twitter.com/9M2w9gYXww

Sherman and former Seahawks wide receiver Doug Baldwin Jr. seemed to take pleasure in Wilson and the Broncos losing to Seattle in their first game of the 2022 season.

Richard Sherman @RSherman_25pic.twitter.com/2iwv6p9TX8

Doug Baldwin Jr 🌹 @DougBaldwinJrpic.twitter.com/qolD451XTU

Things only got worse for Wilson as his Broncos tenure continued. Head coach Sean Payton told ESPN’s Seth Wickersham prior to the start of the 2023 season his quarterback needed to “focus less on Russell Inc.” and implored Wilson to ” f–king stop kissing all the babies” because he’s “not running for public office.”

Payton never seemed to warm up to Wilson throughout the season. The “highlight” of their partnership together was the coach yelling at Wilson on the sidelines during a 42-17 loss to the Detroit Lions on Dec. 16.

Wilson was benched for the final two games of the season before being released by Denver on Monday. The move cost the Broncos $85 million in dead cap, including a $53 million charge for the 2024 season.

The Steelers made a bet on Wilson being able to rebound, though his one-year deal is only for the veteran’s minimum of $1.2 million.

As long as Wilson’s main is focus is on football, instead of trying to create marketing catchphrases for his new team, things should be fine in Pittsburgh.

Wilson had a decent 2023 with the Broncos prior to being benched. He threw for 3,070 yards, 26 touchdowns and completed 66.4 percent of his attempts.

The Steelers haven’t had a quarterback throw for 25 touchdowns in a season since Ben Roethlisberger in 2020 (33).