Russell Wilson is eager to reboot his career in Pittsburgh. The Steelers are betting big on it

PITTSBURGH — Russell Wilson didn’t come out Friday and say he expects to be the starting quarterback in Pittsburgh. All capped by an extended meeting last Friday in which Wilson walked by the six Lombardi Trophies that greet visitors to the Steelers’ offices and before taking a tour of a city that, as Wilson put hours after signing a one-year deal with the club “has won a lot.” Only not enough of late, the primary reason the Steelers felt compelled to bring in Wilson, believing there’s more than enough football left in the 35-year-old to help Pittsburgh end a playoff victory drought that’s at seven years and counting. Asked if he has arrived in Pittsburgh with a chip on his shoulder following two mostly bumpy years in Denver — a stretch in which Wilson went 11-19 as a starter and clashed last season with head coach Sean Payton — Wilson nodded and said “100%.” “I think that every day you wake up there’s something to prove,” Wilson said. Wilson said “felt like myself again” in 2023 while throwing for 3,070 yards and 26 touchdowns, though it wasn’t enough for him to win over Payton, who benched Wilson in late December. While stressing he’s “never been a numbers guy,” Wilson did add that “touchdowns matter.” “I’m used to being in the end zone,” said Wilson, who threw for 26 scores in 15 games in 2023.