The Pittsburgh Steelers managed to land Russell Wilson for roughly 1/242 the price that the Denver Broncos paid for him, not including draft capital. As such, the pressure placed on the Steelers is infinitesimally smaller than what the Broncos faced heading into 2022.
However, Wilson himself still has massive pressure to perform quickly this year. Will the pressure create a Wilson-shaped diamond or a busted pipe?
Here’s a look at what to expect.
There are a few different scenarios placed at the feet of the Steelers this year. Wilson appears to be locked into the starting job heading into Week 1, but the lock looks to be made out of paper mache. If Wilson starts with the Steelers like he started with the Broncos, it may only be little more than a month before Justin Fields takes over.
Wilson began his Broncos career with an opening-week loss against his former Seattle Seahawks team. From that point, the narrative began building that the Seahawks had done the right thing in moving on. The Steelers find themselves placed in a similar situation in 2024. Wilson will face the Broncos in Week 2 in Denver. If he loses that game, he could be on a fast track to replacement, even if he won in Week 1.
Of course, much of the blame for that first season in Denver fell squarely on rookie head coach Nathaniel Hackett. Mike Tomlin is one of the most experienced head coaches in the league. Ergo, any struggles will fall squarely on Wilson. With Fields already in tow, the franchise is perfectly prepared to flip the switch at the first sign of trouble.
Russell Wilson is careening toward Thanksgiving benching
Tomlin and Wilson’s former head coach, Sean Payton, sit on a similar level. If Payton was willing to pull the plug before many fans were ready to, Tomlin is even more likely with Fields ready and waiting.
Of course, much of the season hinges on the schedule Pittsburgh has been dealt.
If the schedule is front-loaded, Wilson has much less of a chance of surviving the season. However, if it is balanced or back loaded, he might be able to ride out the year.
The Steelers face the reloaded Falcons, then the Broncos, the reloading Chargers, and the untested Colts with Anthony Richardson. If Wilson can stay around .500 or better, he has a shot to keep his job in September.
In October, he faces the Cowboys, Raiders, Jets, and Giants. A .500 record could be a stretch for Wilson, but he should be able to get it done and keep his job. However, in November, it gets tricky. The Steelers face the Commanders, Ravens, Browns, and Bengals. Wilson could easily win just one game in this stretch. If that happens, Fields might get the nod before the second week of December.
Above all, Tomlin will want to keep his streak of consecutive non-losing seasons running, whether he does it with Russell Wilson or Fields. With November looking like a gauntlet, anything less than near perfection early in the year sets him up for a job loss around Thanksgiving.
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