Steelers’ Russell Wilson lets former teammate speak the truth about Sean Payton vs. Mike Tomlin

The Pittsburgh Steelers have been one of the best stories in the NFL during the 2024 season. Before the season, there were plenty of pundits in the media predicting that this season would be the time Mike Tomlin‘s streak of winning seasons might be coming to an end, but Pittsburgh seems to be rolling lately. Pittsburgh’s quarterback situation was a big topic of discussion heading into the season, and the Steelers added more fuel to the fire when Justin Fields started the first six games of the year due to an injury Russell Wilson.

Fields played well through the first six games of the year. He led the Steelers to a 4-2 record and took care of the football while accounting for 10 touchdowns. Many fans wanted him to remain the starting quarterback for the rest of the season, but Tomlin opted to make the switch to Wilson once he was fully healthy.

It was certainly the right decision and it paid off for Pittsburgh, but it was questionable at the time. NFL insider James Palmer attended Steve Smith Sr.’s podcastand he said that at the beginning of the year, Tomlin continually let Wilson know it was his team.

“I was talking to one of (Wilson’s) former teammates the other day who told me, ‘I still talk to Russ every day. We text every day.'” Palmer said. “He said, ‘You know what Russ needed? Russ needed a head coach who believed in him.’ He said, “Sean Payton didn’t believe in him at all. You know what Mike Tomlin was telling him the whole time Justin Fields was playing: This is still your team.”

It would have been very easy for Wilson to get in on himself and give up on the season once Fields started playing well, but he knew he would be in charge of the offense once he was fully healthy. Wilson never lost confidence in the way Tomlin handled the situation. This is where things went wrong when Wilson was with the Denver Broncos. Sean Payton belittled him and before he took the coaching job in 2023, he knew he didn’t want Wilson to be his quarterback.

Wilson’s play has surprised a lot of people, especially after two questionable seasons with the Broncos. It was clear that Wilson wasn’t prepared for success while in Denver, and coming to Pittsburgh should be a relief for the veteran quarterback. By three Wilson starts has thrown for 737 yards and six touchdowns with just one interception, which is the best quarterback play Pittsburgh has had since Ben Roethlisberger.

Fields and Wilson seem to have a great relationship, even with Wilson taking Fields’ job after six games. The two quarterbacks wanted to play together, and the fourth-year quarterback is learning from Wilson, which should prepare him well for the rest of his career.

Steelers’ Russell Wilson could put Pittsburgh in a tough spot

Wilson is only signed through the end of the 2024 season and if he continues to play the way he is, he will likely get a new contract in Pittsburgh. This could be difficult for the organization, as Wilson will turn 36 at the end of November, and he will always risky to attract older players to big deals.

The quarterback also wants to win at the end of his career, so it will be interesting to see if he lands a team-friendly deal so Pittsburgh can stay out of cap trouble for the foreseeable future. However, if Wilson continues to play like this, he could earn a big payday.