Despite Identifying as ‘Mr. Unlimited’, Russell Wilson Snubbed for ‘Comeback Player of the Year’ as Steelers QB’s Age Raises Doubts

‘Mr. Unlimited’ may have finally found his limits! The person in question is Russell Wilson, who was let go by the Denver Broncos after disappointing performances last year. The veteran quarterback is currently sweating it out in the Pittsburgh Steelers minicamp ahead of the 2024 season. While Wilson is working his socks off to prove his doubters wrong, it may already be too late to turn his career around.

Recently, the Steelers’ no. 3 addressed the journalists and spoke about aging. A “confident” Wilson claimed he found a “fountain of youth” that “revived” him. However, if the ESPN NFL analyst Erin Kate Dolan is to be believed, Wilson’s words do not paint an accurate picture of the current state of his career. When asked whether Wilson could regain his form and get back to his best in an ESPN segment, Erin laughed it off and claimed, at 35, Russell is on the last legs of his career.

“Absolutely not,” Erin said about Wilson’s chances of winning the ‘NFL Comeback Player of the Year’. She further added, “This guy has been around long enough to know what to say before the season.” Dolan’s optimism about Russell Wilson’s playing time further diminished thanks to the addition of Justin Fields, who joined the Steelers in a trade from the Chicago Bears. However, the former Broncos star seemingly have no complaints with Fields’ joining the Steelers.

Russell Wilson is excited to play with Justin Fields

Russell Wilson welcomed Justin Fields when the 25-year-old joined the Pittsburgh Steelers earlier in 2024. The former Bears QB replaced Kenny Pickett, who went to the  Eagles. Wilson took to his X account and wrote, “Let’s get it” claiming that the “quarterback room” was going to be lit! Hence, it doesn’t seem like there is any kind of jealousy from Wilson’s end about his game time.

Wilson further spoke on his relationship with Fields during the 2024 preseason OTAs. He said, “I’ve got a lot of respect for his game and who he is as a player and a teammate. It’s a great thing to be together. We’re just elevating and just trying to be better every day.” They two were also seen practicing their passing in the training camps ahead of the season and seemed to be getting along quite well.

The nine-time Pro Bowler has a one-year contract at Pittsburgh worth $1.2 million, which pales in comparison to his previous contracts with the Seahawks and Broncos. As per Spotrac, Wilson has earned about $266 million so far in his career. But, the downgrade in his salary comes after two below-average seasons; especially in 2022, when he registered only 3,070 passing yards with an 84.4 passer rating. This was the first time his rating went below 100 since the 2017 season.

It will be interesting to see how the QB performs for the Steelers amid lingering criticism.