New Report Exposes Steelers' Russell Wilson For Horrible Practices Before Playoff Game

When the Pittsburgh Steelers lost four straight games to finish off the 2024 regular season, quarterback Russell Wilson was seen trying to lift star defensive lineman Cam Heyward’s spirits after a tough loss. In the moment, Wilson told Heyward, "Let’s go win the next four games," but of course, that didn’t happen. Heyward, who had been playing well despite the team's collapse, appeared frustrated as the season spiraled out of control. Now, as the 2025 offseason unfolds, new reports about Wilson’s preparation leading up to the playoffs are raising eyebrows.

ESPN insider Brooke Pryor joined the Shek Show hosted by Dave Dameshek, sharing that Wilson was awful in practice during Pittsburgh’s brutal end-of-season meltdown. She claimed his accuracy was inconsistent, his decision-making was questionable, and his overall performance left coaches and teammates deeply concerned. Given that Wilson was brought in to stabilize the quarterback position, these reports paint an alarming picture of why the Steelers’ offense failed to find any momentum when it mattered most.

While some may argue that Wilson was dealing with a struggling supporting cast, poor play in practice raises major red flags about his ability to lead the team moving forward. The Steelers' late-season collapse already had fans questioning the quarterback situation, and now, these reports only add more fuel to the fire. With Justin Fields waiting in the wings and Pittsburgh potentially eyeing other options, Wilson’s grip on the starting job could be slipping before the 2025 season even begins.

"Every single waking moment is practice and it is practicing in front of people, but towards the end of the season, the practices at Acrisure Stadium before the playoff game, I just remember watching Russ and thinking, this is not good," said Pryor.

Pryor witnessed Wilson struggling in practice, only to get worse as time went on. For a Steelers team desperate to turn things around quickly, seeing their veteran starter falter behind the scenes was a major red flag.

It speaks volumes about why the offense continued to spiral when the team needed a spark.

"He did not look good," Pryor said. "He was making mistakes. He was throwing picks. I felt like the defense was going to put up a bigger fight based off of what I was seeing in practice. It’s hard to tell and clearly did not translate that same way, but I felt like Russ went over a cliff at some point in the season during that five-game losing streak. No matter how much positivity he was preaching. The actions didn’t back up the words. It simply snowballed."

This insight from Pryor is particularly intriguing because it marks the first time a Steelers reporter has openly stated that Wilson was performing poorly in practice down the stretch. While fans speculated about the team’s offensive struggles, this report provides a clearer picture of just how bad things were behind closed doors.

Wilson gave the Steelers hope at times during the 2024 season, but he struggled when it mattered most. Unfortunately, everything seemed to fall apart at the worst possible time. As the offense sputtered, the defense followed suit, and the Steelers kept losing the turnover battle. It was a perfect storm of issues that derailed their season.

Steelers Stopped Buying Into Russell Wilson's Positive Vibes

Hearing that Wilson struggled in practice sheds light on why Steelers players may have stopped buying into the endless positivity he preached. While his words were meant to uplift the team, they only go so far if the performance doesn’t back them up. At some point, actions speak louder than words, and that’s exactly what played out in Pittsburgh.

Now, the Steelers face major decisions about their quarterback future. With both Wilson and Fields becoming free agents, one is expected to return, but it remains unclear which one. The popular and seemingly more promising choice is Fields, but Steeler Nation anxiously awaits to see which direction the organization takes at quarterback.

#SteelerNation