Russell Wilson is set to battle his former team in Week 2 of the 2024 NFL season.
Wilson, who is now a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers, was officially named the team’s starting quarterback by head coach Mike Tomlin. Wilson was in a quarterback battle with Justin Fields, and despite having a lopsided preseason showing with his new team, Wilson managed to secure the starting job.
Steelers have made their decision and Russell Wilson will be the starter for Week 1 @NFLonFOX
— Jay Glazer (@JayGlazer) August 28, 2024
“It was a difficult decision, but not difficult in a negative way, to be quite honest with you. It was difficult in a positive way,” Tomlin told Pittsburgh media on naming Wilson the starter. “The decision was difficult because of what they’re capable of doing. The decision was difficult because of how they’ve conducted themselves — as opposed to the things that they fall short in in terms of capabilities or negative conduct.”
Denver Broncos brace for the return of Russell Wilson
Wilson’s time couldn’t have gone much worse in Denver. Perhaps signing Wilson to a 5-year, $242.5M contract before even playing a down for the team was a bad omen to begin with.
In the games Wilson started, the Denver Broncos went 11-19, which is certainly a far cry from what they envisioned. After a brutal season under Nathaniel Hackett, the Broncos swung for the fences and brought in Sean Payton in a desperate attempt to salvage the Wilson project. While Wilson looked marginally better under Payton, it became evident that he would not be the best choice to lead the team going forward. Because the Broncos were so desperate to get rid of Wilson, they decided to cut their losses by releasing him in March. The Broncos would now have to take on Wilson’s $85M dead salary cap hit. In fact, Wilson has a $53M cap hit against the Broncos in 2024.
Wilson would go on to sign with the Steelers for a fraction of what Denver owes him. Essentially, the Broncos are paying Wilson to play for Pittsburgh.
Because of the lack of success during his time with the Broncos, Wilson is not exactly well-liked in the Mile High City. During the Broncos’ second preseason game against the Green Bay Packers, there were some highlights shown on the jumbotron from other games going on around the league. These highlights were more-so lowlights, as clips of Wilson getting sacked three times in the Steelers’ loss to the Bills were shown. These clips were received with a healthy mixture of boos and cheers from Broncos fans.
The disdain for Wilson now makes the Broncos’ Week 2 matchup against the Steelers that much more interesting. Empower Field will undoubtedly be buzzing, as it will be the Broncos home opener. To further add to the energy, they’ll be facing their former quarterback.
Needless to say, Broncos fans are looking to move on from the train wreck that was Wilson in Denver. Perhaps rookie quarterback Bo Nix can help expedite that healing process. After a strong preseason showing, Nix has given Broncos Country a small glimmer of hope. That glimmer of hope could potentially grow to exponential size if Nix comes out and beats Wilson and the Steelers.
With Wilson being named the Steelers starter, this game has suddenly upgraded to a must-win revenge game for the Broncos. Undoubtedly, Sean Payton and the Broncos will be extra motivated to get the win.