Steelers' Russell Wilson Is Victim Of Sabotaging Leaks: 'There's Only One Person That's Leaking This Stuff'

The Pittsburgh Steelers gladly signed Russell Wilson after he was shown the door by the Denver Broncos. Wilson was brought into the Broncos franchise after years of success, including two Super Bowl appearances, during his time with the Seattle Seahawks. The unspoken arrangement was that Wilson would be the savior of this struggling franchise, and he was paid commensurate with a savior's going rate, $245 million over five years. 

You know what they say: the higher you rise, the further you call fall, which certainly happened to Wilson. During his two years in Denver, he worked with three head coaches, including his most recent one, Sean Payton. While there are likely many factors for why the two just didn't work well together, it is hard to blame Wilson for all of it. Wilson couldn't provide what the Broncos wanted without all the tools any quarterback needs, including solid coaching and on-field weapons.  

This implied blame has created many opportunities for gossip from Payton's camp and the media. That includes AFC North media, as Aditi Kinkhabwala from CBS Sports recently chimed in on a Cleveland Browns podcast. Kinkhabwala said that Wilson struggled with snap counts, effectively moving in the pocket, and couldn't handle the play-calling. She implied that Wilson wasn't smart enough to handle Payton's play calls, saying he needed to wear a wristband and make every play two words or less. 

Kinkhabwala said there is good reason why the Broncos paid Wilson to go away. Her glowing evaluation of Payton as one of the greatest offensive minds in football underscored her continued attack on Wilson's intelligence. She highlighted Payton's history of working with and developing so many outstanding quarterbacks, while not mentioning Wilson's many successes.

Now, members of the Denver media are rebutting Kinkhabwala's comments. The Broncos Country Tonight podcast hosts Ryan Edwards and Benjamin Allbright called Kinkhabwala's thoughts on Wilson ridiculous.  

"My first thought was, 'Denver has moved on, Sean.' We don't have to keep putting this stuff out there. This stuff wasn't coming from the Russ side of the house; all it did was paint Russell Wilson in a bad light. There's only one person that's leaking this stuff out because it only benefits one person."

While it is true they were using wristbands, the show hosts point out that this is not uncommon in the NFL. There is nothing wrong with it; players on both sides of the ball wear them. The narrative that the usage of one somehow equates to a low IQ needs to stop. The wristbands help speed things up. They also noted that the two-word plays Kinkhabwala referred to are what Payton always uses, meaning it wasn't new for Wilson. 

They find it shocking that she would imply Wilson was too "dumb" to get wordy play calls. While they know Wilson struggled with that offense last season, it isn't because he isn't smart enough. They said that Wilson's coaching history and success in the NFL point to something quite different. 

"The idea that Russell Wilson can't get verbose play calls is frankly stupid. Russell Wilson had his best season under Brian Schottenheimer, who famously makes long, verbose play calls—old-school football. He had to learn those play calls."

Edwards and Allbright believe this is all irrelevant now; everyone needs to move on, as they have in Denver with Bo Nix. The Steelers will soon discover how Wilson works in the new Offensive Coordinator Arthur Smith's system for themselves; it has nothing to do with Denver. They feel this topic was just an attempt at "slandering people just to slander people."  

Steelers' Russell Wilson Is Playing For His Football Life In 2024

The Steelers, according to Head Coach Mike Tomlin, plan to allow Wilson to start this season over Justin Fields. Wilson has said that he is not ready for his career to be over yet and hopes to find success in Pittsburgh for the foreseeable future. 

That means that Wilson's 2024 performance could determine the rest of his career. At 35, Father Time is catching up to Wilson, and if he doesn't play well, this could be his last season as a starter. 

Some analysts believe Wilson will fit into Pittsburgh and Smith's system well, possibly doubling the team's offensive production. He is certainly being set up for success in a way he wasn't in Denver, with a tough offensive line and a stable of weapons.