Steelers' Russell Wilson Exposed By The True Reason He Can't Thrive In Today's NFL

When the Pittsburgh Steelers were 10-3 after their Week 14 win over the Cleveland Browns, they seemed to have found their bridge quarterback in Russell Wilson. At 36, no one expected Wilson to be the next "franchise guy," but since he'd gone 6-1 to start his career in black and gold, everyone was optimistic he could run the offense successfully for a few years. 

Unfortunately, things fell apart after that. While everyone expected the compressed schedule to be challenging, few expected them to lose all four final regular season games and the Wild Card game. This changed many people's focus back to Justin Fields, who had taken the team to 4-2. 

With Fields' incredible athleticism, many insiders believe the franchise will take a chance on him in 2025. Steelers Owner and Team President Art Rooney II gave a very lawyerly answer when asked about it during his media session. He indicated positives and negatives to both quarterbacks and said the team's goal is to retain one of the two. 

Bob Labriola, the editor of Steelers.com, joined Randy Baumann and the DVE Morning Show on 102.5 WDVE and was asked about Rooney's answers. Labriola said he didn't know how the team would decide to go, but he shared his opinions and what he had seen. 

"What I learned, or I saw develop or evolve, is that a 5'10", 36-year-old quarterback can't really thrive in the NFL today," explained Labriola. "Because for Russell Wilson to do what he did back in the day that he did it, he was a lot younger, and his ability to move around is what allowed him to do a lot of those things. One of the things I'll always remember is they did this drill every day at training camp where they'd put tackling dummies down about three feet apart and lay them about five or six in a row. It was for practicing footwork. Justin Fields would go first, and he'd go across the tackling dummies because that was his thing, moving side to side. Russell Wilson would go back and forth through them, and that, to me, illustrated that's what he needs to do in the pocket to find throwing lanes. Because he's short."

Labriola said the first time he walked past Wilson in the team's South Side facility, he couldn't believe his eyes. He said he'd never walked past a "real professional football player" who was his same height. 

Wilson, officially listed as 5'11", has heard about his height since college. He is a very talented college quarterback; analysts speculated he would have gone earlier in the draft if he had been taller. As it was, Wilson went in the third round to the Seattle Seahawks and became one of four third-round quarterbacks to start and win a Super Bowl. 

Are The Steelers Part Of The Plan For Either Quarterback?

Just days after Wilson told the media how much he loves being in Pittsburgh and hopes to stay and finish his career in the Steel City, rumors began circulating that he might reunite with his former Head Coach, Pete Carroll. However, just because Carroll and Wilson might like to reunite doesn't mean the Las Vegas Raiders organization sees him as the answer. 

Many think Fields might want out of Pittsburgh. The offensive line injuries and lack of weapons created challenges for a quarterback who isn't the best passer. Others believe Fields might want to stay somewhere he is wanted, chasing a home rather than money. 

Who do you think the Steelers prefer to keep? Tell us what you think below. 

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