Quarterback Russell Wilson shut up his doubters by the beginning of December with his 6-1 start with the Pittsburgh Steelers. But after a 5-game losing streak to end the 2024 campaign, Wilson’s critics are back, including his former head coach Sean Payton.
The Denver Broncos head coach seemed to take a shot at Wilson during his post-season press conference.
“Obviously, we’re still not there yet, and yet we’re a lot closer than we were at this time [last year],” Payton told reporters on January 15. “That was misery, sorrow, drudgery.
“Give me some other adjectives. That was brutal. Let’s say that.”
At the end of the 2023 regular season, the Broncos benched Wilson to avoid him suffering a major injury that would paid the quarterback more money. Then in the offseason, Denver released Wilson despite it costly the team a $53 million cap hit.
In cash terms, the Broncos paid Wilson roughly $37.8 million to play for the Steelers in 2024.
Broncos in Better QB Position Than Steelers After 2024
Payton’s indirect shot at Wilson could just as easily be seen as the Broncos head coach throwing shade at the team that beat him in Week 2.
Instead of investing in youth, the Steelers went the veteran route to improve at quarterback. Signing in Wilson resulted in the team then trading away former first-round pick Kenny Pickett. The Steelers then acquired another ex-first-rounder in Justin Fields.
But when healthy, Wilson started for the Steelers in 2024.
His hot start resulted in many pundits criticizing the Broncos for paying Wilson almost $38 million to play for an AFC rival. After Thanksgiving, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin was a leading candidate for the NFL’s Coach of the Year award.
Now a month and a half later, Payton looks much smarter than Tomlin. The Broncos drafted quarterback Bo Nix at No. 12 overall in the first round of the 2024 NFL draft.
As a rookie, Nix ended Denver’s playoff drought. That gives the Broncos a lot of optimism for the future.
Meanwhile, the Steelers have nothing but questions behind center. Wilson and Fields are both unrestricted free agents. It’s not clear which one might return in 2025. It’s possible neither come back, and the Steelers again start from scratch behind center.
But because Wilson played well initially, the Steelers aren’t in position to draft a quarterback as the Broncos did last spring. Pittsburgh holds the No. 21 overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft.
Evaluating Wilson’s 2024 Season
It was rather evident that Payton and Wilson didn’t get along during their lone season together with the Broncos. For that reason, Payton might place the primary blame on Wilson for the Steelers five-game losing streak to end the season.
But that wouldn’t be entirely fair.
The Steelers defense got progressively worse as the 2024 campaign continued. Pittsburgh allowed at least 27 points in four of their last five games.
Furthermore, the rest of the Steelers offense didn’t help Wilson as much in December as it did in November. Top wide receiver George Pickens and tight end Pat Freiermuth dropped key passes in the season finale against the Cincinnati Bengals and the playoff matchup versus the Baltimore Ravens.
Over their final five games, the Steelers offense also failed to eclipsed 80 rushing yards three times. In the playoffs against the Ravens, the Steelers had 29 rushing yards.
That’s not to say Wilson wasn’t part of Pittsburgh’s offensive issues. Elite quarterbacks can often overcome poor rushing days and leaky defenses. While still serviceable, Wilson is not elite.
In 11 regular season games, Wilson posted a 63.7% completion percentage with 16 touchdowns and five interceptions during 2024. He averaged 7.4 yards per attempt.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post QB Russell Wilson Receives Indirect Shade From Broncos’ Sean Payton appeared first on Heavy Sports.