Russell Wilson named 2024 Pittsburgh Steelers captain
The Pittsburgh Steelers have named Russell Wilson as one of their team captains for the 2024 NFL campaign.
Wilson is in his first season with the franchise, after a successful tenure with the Seattle Seahawks, following by a not-so-great follow-up with the Denver Broncos. After beating out Justin Fields for the starting gig in Pittsburgh, it’s evident Wilson has earned the respect of the Steelers locker room.
Along with Wilson, Cameron Heyward, Miles Killebrew and T.J. Watt were also named team captains for the Steelers, as the 2024 season is less than a week away.
Moreover, Wilson signed a one-year, $1.2 million deal with the Steelers this offseason following his release from the Broncos. He came into training camp in the “pole position” over Fields, Mike Tomlin previously said.
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Fields, acquired from the Chicago Bears, ultimately didn’t do enough to supplant Wilson, with the Super Bowl champion’s experience winning out.
“Obviously, Russ’s résumé is a unique one in terms of length and success,” Tomlin said, via Mark Kaboly of The Pat McAfee Show, while speaking on the quarterback. “That tends to play a factor in the decision making but not from a decision making’s perspective, it’s just fruit of his labor. He’s seen a lot, done a lot and I think it was reflected in the way he played and conducted himself.”
Additionally, Tomlin called it a “difficult decision” to name Wilson the starter over Fields, though not in a negative way.
Both Wilson and Fields got snaps under their belt in the preseason, though Fields more than doubled his counterpart. Fields played 56 snaps in the preseason as opposed to Wilson’s 25.
Fields, the 2021 first round pick, completed 19-of-27 passes for 199 yards, leading a single scoring drive. Wilson, meanwhile, went 10-of-12 for 73 yards. Wilson started under center in the preseason finale against the Detroit Lions this past Saturday, guiding the first-team offense to a scoring drive on their first possession.
Alas, Week 1 versus the Falcons will be Wilson’s first NFL start since Week 16 of last season before Broncos head coach Sean Payton benched him in favor of Jarrett Stidham. Wilson threw for 26 touchdowns and eight interceptions in his final season with the Broncos, but never lived up to the five-year, $242 million contract he signed ahead of the 2022 season.
Now, with a fresh start in Pittsburgh, it’s evident Russell Wilson is taking what could be his final shot seriously, as he’ll look to lead the Steelers to a successful 2024 campaign, beginning next Sunday.
On3’s Nick Geddes contributed to this article.