In 2022, former NC State quarterback Russell Wilson had his worst season as a quarterback in the NFL. After playing 10 seasons with the Seattle Seahawks, the former Walton Payton Man of the Year and nine-time pro-bowler was traded to the Denver Broncos.
That year, for the first time in his career, Wilson threw for less than 20 touchdowns and had career lows in both quarterback rating and completion percentage. When traded, the former Wolfpack quarterback signed a five-year $242 million contract but only played two seasons before getting cut.
The trade was ultimately labeled a disaster despite Wilson rebounding in 2023 with significantly better starts. The events of a season prior were still fresh and too severe for senior management to forget.
Signing a one-year, $1.21 million contract with the Steelers this past offseason, Wilson is on the cheapest prove-it deal you could imagine for someone of his caliber. His salary ranks 63rd among all quarterbacks for the 2024 season — behind numerous backups and even some third-strings.
Missing the first six games due to injury, Wilson filled the starting role as soon as he was healthy and has led his Pittsburgh squad to a 4-1 record. In five games, Wilson has totaled 1,212 passing yards, seven touchdowns and two interceptions.
Before the start of this season, both Sports Illustrated and Fox Sports declared the downfall of Wilson, alluding to the fact that maybe the veteran signal-caller’s career is coming to a close. Numerous other articles and online videos had similar themes but none could have been farther from the truth.
Last season, Wilson had a passer rating of 98.0 and threw for 26 touchdowns — ranking eighth and ninth, respectively across the board in the NFL. He had more passing touchdowns than the league MVP Lamar Jackson and a better passer rating than Super Bowl-winning quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
Despite a defense that ranked near the bottom of the league in yards and points given up per game and not having a single rusher or receiver totaling over 800 yards — Wilson led the Broncos to an 8-9 record, their best since 2016.
Now in 2024, Wilson has his team in a playoff spot, with the third-best record in the AFC. With the third-best defense in the NFL in terms of points per game on his side, Wilson doesn’t have to try to be Superman like he did in Denver — he just has to do enough.
With limited options to throw downfield, Wilson is still making it work, averaging 242.4 yards per game. Only wide receiver George Pickens has more than 400 yards receiving on the season but the team has bolstered the talent around Wilson since his first start.
Five days before the Steelers took on the Washington Commanders — who were riding high with a 7-2 record — the black-and-gold traded for veteran receiver Mike Williams. In his one catch with the team, Williams recorded a 32-yard go-ahead touchdown in the final three minutes to put the Steelers over the top.
The Steeler defense has proved its perennial hype countless times this season, but none may have been more impressive than its 18-16 victory over the Baltimore Ravens. The Ravens average the most yards by far and have scored the second-most points by any team and the defense stymied one of the MVP favorites — Lamar Jackson – and company to 100 yards less than their average.
Wilson and the rest of the team will have plenty of chances to prove themselves even more with matchups against the Cincinnati Bengals, a rematch versus the Ravens and games against the 2023 Super Bowl teams — the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs.
No matter how badly people want Wilson’s career to be finished, it’s not. The ex-NC State quarterback knows a thing or two about being counted out and once again he’s proving everybody wrong.
