It was a rather circuitous route, but Russell Wilson finds himself as the presumptive starting quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers heading into the 2024 season. At this point in his career, Wilson is what most would consider to be a borderline Hall of Famer. Yet, he somehow has something to prove after being cut loose by the Broncos and picked up by the Steelers. He also has an estimated net worth of around $165 million and is one-half of a popular celebrity couple. That means whatever happens on the football field from here on out might just be icing on the cake.
After spending a decade with the Seahawks, Wilson finds himself with his third team in four seasons. However, he’s someone who’s accustomed to moving around. Wilson was born in Cincinnati but grew up in Richmond. After spending the first four years of his college career at NC State, he transferred to Wisconsin for his final year of eligibility. Wilson was a standout player at NC State, ultimately having his jersey retired, although he also led Wisconsin to an 11-3 season and a Big Ten championship.
However, Wilson’s accomplished college career was only enough to make him a third-round pick. The biggest reason he fell so far in the 2012 NFL Draft is his size. Wilson is listed at just 5’ 11’’, which is small for a quarterback. Of course, other teams devaluing him because of his size was Seattle’s gain. The Seahawks got a steal with the 75th overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft. Wilson was a Pro Bowler in his rookie season and then helped the Seahawks win the Super Bowl in his second season in the league. The following year, Wilson was ill-advised pass away from leading the Seahawks to back-to-back Super Bowl wins.
While Wilson never helped the Seahawks win another Super Bowl, he put together an impressive resume while in Seattle. He was selected to nine Pro Bowls in 10 years while leading the NFL in passer rating in 2015 and passing touchdowns in 2017. During his 10 seasons in Seattle, Wilson led the Seahawks to the playoffs eight times. He compiled a playoff record of 9-7, making him one of the rare quarterbacks to have a winning postseason record.
Naturally, the Steelers and their fanbase hope that Wilson can replicate that same kind of success in Pittsburgh. The most optimistic of Steelers fans are surely using some of Pennsylvania’s biggest sportsbooks to bet on Pittsburgh having a successful season in 2024. Pennsylvania features a dozen different sportsbooks that accept bets on a wide variety of sports beyond the NFL.
Of course, Wilson’s performance in Denver over the past two seasons serves as a red flag for what he has left in the tank. Wilson was a completely different quarterback in Denver, and not in a good way. While he had his moments, his accuracy was down considerably compared to his last few years in Seattle. He also took a career-high 55 sacks in 2022, which may not have been entirely his fault. But the bottom line is that the Broncos were just 11-19 with Wilson as a starter, prompting the team to take a record-setting cap hit to get rid of him.
The fact that the Broncos were so eager to get rid of him could give the Steelers and their fans some pause before believing that Wilson is the missing piece of the Super Bowl puzzle. On the bright side, the Broncos are paying most of his salary, meaning the Steelers aren’t paying that much for Wilson’s services. That’s part of the reason why it was an easy decision for Pittsburgh to take a chance on Wilson in 2024.
As for Wilson, he must feel as if he’s playing with house money at this point. He has already put together a resume that will make him a serious candidate for the Hall of Fame one day. He also owns a Super Bowl ring. As far as his personal life is concerned, Wilson is married to R&B singer Ciara. Despite his struggles in Denver over the past two seasons, everything else in his life and career has fallen into place. No matter what happens in Pittsburgh, Wilson has established himself as one of the top quarterbacks of the 21st century. He now has a chance to write another chapter of his already impressive legacy with one of the most prestigious teams in NFL history.
