Steelers QB Russell Wilson 'grateful' after first day of OTAs in Pittsburgh

Russell Wilson celebrated his first day on the practice field as the Steelers quarterback by sharing some simple snap shots.

The 35-year-old quarterback gathered some photos from the first day of Pittsburgh’s OTAs by posting a gallery. He donned the white, black and gold practice jersey, complete with his familiar No. 3, and had himself a day. The Steelers are the third team in Wilson’s illustrious NFL career. But he’s hoping his days in Pittsburgh will be more like his time in Seattle than his most recent stint in Denver.

Wilson captioned the gallery “Day 1, grateful for the journey.”

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A post shared by Russell Wilson (@dangerusswilson)

The Steelers started phase 3 of OTAs, Tuesday, with the veterans and rookies uniting on the practice field for the first time. There was no contact allowed, but it still was football. Minicamp is next month. Training camp follows in July, then it’s onto August exhibition season and finally, the real games kick off.

And during that time, coach Mike Tomlin and new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith will decide who will be the starting quarterback. The position is a complete rebuild, with Wilson and Justin Fields competing for the top job. In addition, the Steelers now have journeyman Kyle Allen and undrafted rookie free agent John Rhys Plumlee on the roster.

Russell Wilson and Justin Fields spoke to the media after Tuesday's practice: pic.twitter.com/Zu5IPttcqB

— Steelers Live (@SteelersLive) May 21, 2024

Wilson and Fields met with the media, Tuesday, to talk about their new jobs. Fields made the bigger headlines when he proclaimed that he was competing for the first-team job. Coach Mike Tomlin, after signing both quarterbacks, said that Wilson would be in the “pole position” for the starting job. But any race fan who knows the phrase is aware the pole position is only for the start of a race.

Wilson was charming when he met with the media. He dropped some of the great Steelers names during the interview as he gushed about the fans.

“You dream about these moments,” Wilson said. “I remember watching guys like Ben Roethilsberger, some of the all-time greats. Watching Coach Cowher, watching the tradition here. You can tell how engulfed the fan base is. We are focusing on being the best we can be.”

As for competing against Fields, who started three seasons with the Bears, Wilson had a ready answer.

“I think every day you look to be the best version of you, that’s always the competition internally,” Wilson said. “Then you are always competing against the 31 other teams. You step on the field with that mentality, nothing should ever change. That’s how I always looked at it and nothing should change.”