Russell Wilson's Arrival With The Steelers Paints Different Picture Of A QB We Thought We Knew

The ripple effect of Russell Wilson landing with the Pittsburgh Steelers is truly seismic because it goes against so much of what we thought we understood about the Steelers and Wilson for a long time.

Wilson, that guy who wears white suits and has a glamorous diva celebrity wife, going to working-class Pittsburgh to play for the working-class Steelers and its tough-minded coach Mike Tomlin is a delicious amount of contrast to digest.

This feels like something of a mismatch if your thoughts of Wilson were formed by what you heard from, say, Sean Payton and the Denver Broncos. The picture we got from Wilson's last NFL stop was that he was an entitled guy who set himself apart from his teammates.

Broncos Painted Picture Of Entitled QB

We got that picture when Payton barreled into town and immediately announced no quarterback of his was going to have his own office in the facility, like Wilson did in 2022. And personnel assistants or trainers or hangers-on would not be around any of his players – even though guys such as Tom Brady in New England had their own trainer. 

Payton chafed at the thought of Russell Wilson being entitled. 

So, naturally, we all connected dots and thought Wilson felt entitled.

Well, entitled people don't do what Wilson just did in agreeing to play for the Steelers.

Wilson is going to a team that is rough and tough and wants to run the football as the priority on offense. He's obviously fine with that. With not being the epicenter of the offensive strategy.

So, not entitled.

Pittsburgh Steelers QB Kenny Pickett in action during the game against the New Orleans Saints at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Joe Sargent/Getty Images)

No Assurances For Russell Wilson Beyond '24

Wilson is going to a team that is promising him nothing but a chance to compete. The Steelers are signing Wilson to a one-year deal. That's it, for now.

Wilson gets no assurances beyond 2024. There's no contract cushion that tells him if it doesn't go well this year, there's always the security of next year and beyond. 

So, no entitlement there.

And Wilson is going to the Steelers to compete. He and incumbent starter Kenny Pickett, a 2022 first-round draft pick, will go at it for the right to lead the team.

Wilson isn't going to the Steelers to mentor Pickett. I mean, there could be some of that because Wilson's not a jerk. But he's going to Pittsburgh to bury Pickett, if he can, in a mano-a-mano throwdown. Or throw-off. Or, whatever, you get the drift.

Wilson understands if he doesn't win that competition, he'll lose his opportunity to play, barring injury to the starter. And if he doesn't play – and play well – he probably gets no chance to extend his career as he'd like it.

He knows that at 35 years old, this could be his last bite of the apple to be an NFL starter. 

Wilson To Embrace Steelers Culture

So he's going to come in after getting in the best shape of his career and be ready to roll.

"It's going to be like his rookie year when he arrived in Seattle ready to compete with nothing promised," a Wilson confidant told OutKick on Monday morning. "Russ is no stranger to the situation. He's embracing it."

What part of this sounds entitled? Oh, yeah, none of it.

Wilson spent a lot of time with Tomlin during his so-called recruiting visit to Pittsburgh that began Friday. There were, apparently, some frank discussions about what would be the vision for him. What would be expected of him? And what playing for the Pittsburgh Steelers entails?

Tomlin wanted to get a feel for whether Wilson could fit the culture he has tried to create within the team – one of grit and hard-work and toughness. 

And it's fair to believe that because the Steelers made this offer to add Wilson, they obviously have a comfort level that Wilson fits. That he would not be some white-suit-wearing unicorn in the corner of the locker room, talking to his marketing person about a red-carpet appearance, while everyone else is putting on their jeans and heading out for a beer.

The Steelers, perhaps more than any team, have a brand. They've represented the same thing for decades and that is not changing now. Nothing about that brand includes being soft or entitled.

And now Russell Wilson is part of it -- which might be kind of surprising if your picture of the quarterback was painted by his Denver experience.