Could Russell Wilson be up to something behind the scenes in Pittsburgh?

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson may again ride the bench in Week 3 for the team. Is the former Broncos QB up to something behind the scenes? After just 30 starts in two seasons, the Denver Broncos cut Russell Wilson and will eat an NFL record $85 million in dead cap across the 2024 and 2025 seasons.

After 2025, the contract is totally off the books, and it'll get a lot easier financially for the Broncos next offseason. The team pivoted to Bo Nix in the 2024 NFL Draft, and Russell Wilson unsurprisingly signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Wilson was in the starting spot pretty much all offseason until a calf injury popped up. Justin Fields has been the starter since and has "led" the Steelers to a 2-0 record, and I suppose as long as the Steelers win more than they lose and Fields isn't totally unplayable, it's hard to pull him from the lineup.

Well, NFL insider Mike Florio seems to think that Russell Wilson could begin working behind the scenes the longer he goes without playing:

"The challenge is keeping Russell Wilson from activating his personal media machine in the events that he knows he's ready to go and he's frustrated about not playing, Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio told 93.7 The Fan. That's the only downside to this, but I think they know how to handle him in a way that will keep him from trying to make his case through his PR representatives, to reporters who would be pushing the agenda that, Why did he come here? He should be traded, whatever the case may be."

-  Mike Florio

This is certainly something, and Florio is well-connected, so I don't believe he is just spewing nonsense here. The Denver Broncos and their fans got this experience first-hand, as it felt like that the QB was caring more about his new social media image being on the Denver Broncos than the actual play itself.

There were rumors that he had his own office and "posse" in the building with him. Well, Wilson has never been one to be all that liked by his teammates in the locker room, and you just have to wonder how he is feeling right now that he maybe just signed with a team to never start a game with them. If Fields is still the starter at the 2024 NFL trade deadline, could Wilson request a trade?

And would the Steelers entertain a trade? If nothing else, Russell Wilson could provide about as good of a backup QB as there is in NFL history. He threw 26 touchdowns in 2023 for the Broncos and had a solid 98 passer rating. He's obviously very declined across the board, but Sean Payton got some good out of him. Wilson was crucial in the Denver Broncos five-game winning streak.

He wasn't unplayable, but isn't an every week starter at this point. With Justin Fields not actively losing games for the Pittsburgh Steelers, they may not have a single reason to pull him from the lineup.