The Pittsburgh Steelers had to watch their season fall apart during the final four weeks of the 2024 regular season, which led to another first round exit in the playoffs. It was a frustrating end to the year as the team was once 10-3, and a lot of that blame is falling on the coaching staff. Head Coach Mike Tomlin takes a lot of the heat, while Defensive Coordinator Teryl Austin and Offensive Coordinator Arthur Smith have also been under fire. Shortly after the season ended, it was leaked that Smith and Russell Wilson didn't always see eye-to-eye when it came to the offense.
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Steelers' Russell Wilson drops back to pass during a Sunday Night Football Game against the New York Jets.
Wilson and Smith clearly did not have the best relationship, and that could be considered a reason for why the offense struggled so much later on in the season. The relationship between a quarterback and the play-caller is extremely important, and when that is rocky, the whole offensive unit can fall apart. It was never clear what went wrong between Smith and Wilson, but the two sides did not agree with something about how the offense was being run.
Team insider Gerry Dulac released an article on Tuesday morning that provided some clarity on the situation.
"According to several sources, Smith did not want Wilson changing plays at the line of scrimmage, like he did in Cincinnati, and deviating from the game plan," Dulac wrote. "Wilson’s desire to attack with the pass and throw down the field clashed with Smith’s run-first mentality, causing philosophical friction between the two."
Based on Dulac's reporting, it sounds like Smith did not want his quarterback deviating from his offensive philosophy. Smith has always been known as a run-first play-caller, while Wilson is a quarterback that likes to stretch the field and let the ball fly. Those situations were when Wilson was at his best throughout the 2024 season.
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Steelers' Russell Wilson gets ready to throw the ball during an away game.
The most interesting part of Dulac's report is that he explained the genesis of the poor relationship between Smith and Wilson came after the team's win over the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 13. Dulac wrote that Wilson changed plays at the line of scrimmage often during the game, and he switched run plays to pass plays. Smith didn't like that, but the Steelers offense played better than it did the entire season during that game.
The offense was able to put up 520 total yards in the win over Cincinnati, with 410 of those being passing yards from Wilson. The offense looked better than ever and was able to win in a shoot-out over one of the best offenses in the league. After this game is when Smith took issue with what Wilson was doing, which makes no sense. What Wilson was doing worked, but it is clear the egos clashed between the player and the coach.
AP
Steelers' Russell Wilson talking with Offensive Coordinator Arthur Smith.
Steelers' Russell Wilson's Future In Pittsburgh Is Still Up In The Air
Wilson was only under contract through the 2024 season for Pittsburgh, and he is expected to hit free agency unless he strikes a new deal with the organization before March. Smith is still the offensive coordinator in Pittsburgh despite receiving some head coaching interest, so it will be interesting to see if the rocky relationship between the two affects the future of Wilson.
It is not healthy to have rifts between the coaching staff and the quarterback, so it is an issue that needs to be resolved before the organization even considers bringing Wilson back into the fold. If Wilson does sign a new deal in Pittsburgh, this type of problem can't flare up again in the middle of the 2025 season. This issue could be blamed for the poor offensive performances throughout the rest of the season, and it is crucial that it is put to bed before any reunion occurs.
What do you think about the relationship between Smith and Wilson? Let us know in the comments below!
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