Not many quarterbacks in the history of the NFL have gone to back-to-back Super Bowls. The list includes players like Tom Brady, Patrick Mahomes, and Joe Montana, with others like Peyton Manning and Dan Marino never accomplished such a feat. It takes a team to win a Super Bowl, but quarterback is the most important position in football. Therefore, playing in two consecutive Super Bowls requires having one of the NFL’s best quarterbacks. Russell Wilson managed to do that with the Seattle Seahawks, and while it’s been ten years since then, one former quarterback believes Wilson can reach that level of play again with the Steelers.
Brady Quinn played quarterback in the NFL from 2007 to 2014, playing for a myriad of different teams. Now, he works as an analyst for different outlets like Fox and CBS. On a recent episode of CBS Sports HQ, Quinn grouped every starting quarterback into five tiers, with Wilson falling in the fourth tier. This tier was for players aiming to become franchise quarterbacks, and while that may seem strange for a veteran like Wilson, it makes sense in the context that he isn’t viewed as being that player anymore. However, Quinn seems hopeful that the Steelers’ quarterback can reach his greatest heights again.
“The reality is Russell Wilson will get the first crack at it in Pittsburgh, but they brought in Justin Fields for a reason,” Quinn said. “You wonder how long of a leash he’ll have there with Arthur Smith as the play caller, depending on how things go because things didn’t work out in Denver. He’s won a Super Bowl; he’s been to two. I think he’s in for a big year. I personally feel like, after this year, we’ll see the older version of Russell Wilson and the success that we saw during his time with Seattle.”
Quinn’s outlook on Wilson is extremely positive if he believes he can be the Seattle version of himself. That player was one of the best players in the NFL and could make some incredible plays. Wilson still has his deep ball, but he hasn’t looked the same since he was traded to Denver. He’s taken a ton of punishment in his career, and those bumps and bruises could be starting to add up. With his athleticism waning, Wilson may not be able to become the best version of himself again.
However, he did show flashes of the old Wilson last year. His overall play wasn’t up to that standard, but he did show everyone that he still had some gas left in the tank. He threw 26 touchdowns and only eight interceptions in 2023, and if the Steelers can even get that out of him, they’ll be leagues better than they were last year. That also came with Wilson reportedly butting heads with Broncos’ head coach Sean Payton, so maybe in a less toxic environment with the Steelers, he’ll play even better.
So far, Wilson seems to be fitting in great with the Steelers, which is a good sign of how well he’ll play. Maybe things will change once the season starts if Wilson struggles, but Mike Tomlin has proven he’s a patient man. If Wilson finds some kind of groove during the year, he’ll hold on to that starting job. He doesn’t need to be what he was in Seattle, and it’s likely no one on the team really expects that from him, but if he can just be serviceable and not turn the ball over, the Steelers should be a competitive team this year. Wilson seems to feel rejuvenated in Pittsburgh, and hopefully he can revive his career, along with their Super Bowl dreams.
