Russell Wilson is thriving with the Pittsburgh Steelers resulting in the team sitting at 10-3 and as the third seed in the playoff picture. Wilson is coming off a two-touchdown performance against the Cleveland Browns and has Pittsburgh in a great spot to win its first division title since the 2020 season.
Wilson signed with the Steelers this offseason after his Broncos tenure ended in disappointing fashion. The long-time Seahawks quarterback was traded to the Broncos in 2022 and then put together his worst pro season during his first year in the Mile High City throwing 16 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. While his numbers were better in 2023, Broncos head coach Sean Payton made it clear that he was okay with his team taking a huge cap hit to get rid of Wilson in the offseason.
Now Wilson is thriving in Pittsburgh and his latest comments about Mike Tomlin could be looked at as him taking a shot at his former head coach. Wilson pointed out a few reasons why he thinks Tomlin is the best coach in the NFL with his demeanor and passion for winning being at the top of the list. He also said that he thinks Tomlin isn't just the best head coach in the NFL but "maybe in all of sports".
Russell Wilson's praise for Mike Tomlin could potentially be looked at as a shot at Sean Payton
Not only did Payton opt for the Broncos take the cap hit after kicking Wilson to the curb, he benched the former third-round pick before the season was over. Jarrett Stidham started Denver's final two games despite the Broncos having a small chance of getting into the playoffs at that point. That's how badly he wanted Wilson out of Denver.
It's been fun to see Wilson revamp his career with the Steelers this year and if the Broncos weren't also a playoff contender right now, it'd be even sweeter to see him succeed. Unfortunately, Payton's gamble has worked out as the Broncos would be the seventh seed in the playoffs if they began today. Maybe Wilson will get a chance to face his old head coach in the postseason and get the ultimate revenge on the coach who gave up on him.
Truthfully, Wilson's comments were more than likely just his way of giving thanks to Tomlin, who helped him turn things around. Tomlin's yet to have a losing record during his lengthy NFL head coaching career so it's not as though Wilson's comments are crazy. Tomlin has proven to be a great coach and has been able to get the best play out of Russell Wilson, which Steelers fans are grateful for. No one was expecting this kind of dominant season from this team and it's been a lot of fun to watch.