Russell Wilson proved to be far better with the Pittsburgh Steelers than his two seasons with the Denver Broncos. Despite his team crashing out in the Wild Card round, Wilson has maintained a positive mindset.
However, Ben Roethlisberger, the two-time Super Bowl winner with the Steelers, has identified issues with Wilson that might hamper his future in Steel City.
Ben Roethlisberger Is Not Convinced by Russell Wilson
Wilson registered 2,482 yards and 16 touchdowns this season despite missing several weeks due to an injury. However, that is not enough for one of the greatest players in the Steelers’ history.
The 42-year-old Roethlisberger took to his podcast “Footbahlin with Ben” to highlight things he does not find admirable about the nine-time Pro Bowler.
“It felt like every time they came to the line of scrimmage, Russ would audible, and he was changing plays. He was checking and maybe it was all dummy stuff,” he said. “Maybe he was just hard counting, trying to get people to declare and move around.”
View this post on Instagram
“But it felt like we were sitting there talking about his command at the line of scrimmage was different. So, my question is, though, if he’s at the line of scrimmage every single time, either changing a play, checking a play, seeing what the defense is doing, like doing something, either he doesn’t understand exactly what’s going on, or he’s trying to figure it out. He doesn’t trust the play call.”
Roethlisberger also highlighted that he too would sometimes ignore a play call after seven or eight years in the system. However, in Wilson’s case, the six-time Pro Bowler isn’t sure whether it’s a play-caller thing or a QB thing.
Wilson finished the 2024 season as PFN’s 17th-ranked QB in QB+, a metric that assigns a letter grade to every quarterback performance and factors in a number of stats such as success rate when pressured, third-down conversion rate, pocket production, and clutch performance
Wilson Expresses His Desire for His Future
On Wednesday (Jan. 22), Wilson appeared on ESPN’s “The Pat McAfee Show” and he was asked by the host how long he intends to continue playing at the top level. The 36-year-old stated bluntly that he still has a lot to give to the sport.
“I got so much more in me,” Wilson said. “My goal is to be with the Pittsburgh Steelers for a long time and hopefully finish my career there, God willing.”
Wilson signed a one-year deal with the Steelers that will expire in March.