Pittsburgh Steelers 35-year-old quarterback Russell Wilson believes he’s been rejuvenated by the move to Pennsylvania.
“Man, I feel the fountain of youth,” Wilson said Tuesday, via Brooke Pryor of ESPN. “I feel revived in every way, mentally, emotionally, spiritually. I feel confident. I think at some point you have to know who you are as a player, as a man, as a competitor. As somebody who’s been fortunate to be able to play this game, I don’t doubt it. I trust it. I felt really good last year playing. I felt really confident in the midst of everything. And so I think right now I have all that confidence times 10.”
Wilson’s career took a nosedive following his 2022 trade from Seattle to Denver. Last year, the veteran quarterback took a step forward, looking more efficient, throwing 26 touchdowns to just eight interceptions. However, Denver’s offense lacked consistency and the Broncos released Wilson, taking on a big salary cap hit.
Wilson has a chance to revive his career after landing in Pittsburgh on a cheap one-year deal. The veteran is the clear leader to start the season under center by every indication out of Steelers offseason workouts. Beat reporters haven’t provided a whiff of indication that Justin Fields could overtake Wilson before Week 1.
Wilson hasn’t been announced as the starter, but new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith acknowledged that “Russ is in the pole position.”
“It’s a competition,” Smith said. “Obviously, we get to Latrobe [for training camp], I’m sure things will heat up, but both those guys knew that, however they were acquired, and they got here and I think it’s been pretty transparent.”
It’s still early in the process, but the reports out of Pittsburgh suggest Wilson looks more like his Seattle self than the one we saw in Denver the past two years. However, we’ve seen offseason optimism wash away in a summer rain in the past.
This season in Pittsburgh is likely Wilson’s last chance to prove he can remain an everyday NFL starter.
