Steelers' Russell Wilson Draws Wild Comparison To Giants' Daniel Jones: "Sean Payton Agrees With Me"

The Pittsburgh Steelers made a surprising move by signing veteran quarterback Russell Wilson to a one-year deal at the veteran minimum. They secured Wilson at such a low cost due to his struggles over the past two seasons with the Denver Broncos. After joining Denver via trade, Wilson signed a massive five-year, $242 million contract, with the franchise holding high expectations. However, after two disappointing years, the Broncos decided to part ways with him.

Wilson’s first year in Denver was particularly rough, though he showed some improvement in 2023, but still managed to win just 11 games in two seasons as a starter. Even though his play was better in 2023 it wasn’t enough to win over Head Coach Sean Payton, who wasn’t a fan of Wilson’s performance. Payton even pushed to have the Broncos pay millions to get Wilson off the team, a clear sign of his frustration.

Nick Wright, a popular sports media personality, had an interesting take on Wilson's 2023 season. While some Steelers fans hold out hope due to his 26 passing touchdowns and just eight interceptions last year, Wright isn’t convinced. He argues that Wilson’s stats don’t tell the full story and even compared him to New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones—certainly not a compliment.

"I think last year was smoke and mirrors," Wright said. "I think Russell Wilson in 2023 was Daniel Jones in 2022. Like, 'Oh, that looks okay,' but then when you dig into it, you're like, 'Huh?' It's 200 yards per game, for both of them, passing the football."

Jones’ 2022 season wasn’t even his best, yet the comparison underscores just how surprising it really is. In that year, Jones threw for only 15 touchdowns and five interceptions. 

Wright finds it hard to believe that Wilson’s 2023 performance can translate successfully in Pittsburgh, and he’s sure that Payton would back him up on this take.

"Russ had more touchdowns than Daniel Jones did, but also a few more turnovers, so it's not apples to apples, but they were both exactly 200 yards per game. I don’t think the way he played last season was sustainable and I know Sean Payton agrees with me."

Many Steelers fans see Wilson’s 2023 production as a reason for optimism. After all, the three quarterbacks who played for Pittsburgh last season combined for just 13 passing touchdowns and nine interceptions, making Wilson seem like a clear upgrade. However, Wright isn’t convinced that this argument holds water.

"Every argument that starts with, 'Well, Russ was, here are the numbers. He was better than people recognize last year.' To me that ignores the smoking gun of, the third biggest cap hit in the NFL this year is Russell Wilson’s dead cap hit to not play for the Broncos… If there was any hope that Russell Wilson was going to be able to recapture something of what he was, Sean Payton would've been the one to unlock it and see it."

Steelers' Wilson Looking To Remind NFL Fans Of His Prior Greatness

Many pundits consider Payton an offensive genius, and Wright argues that if Payton couldn’t help Wilson reach elite levels again, no one could. While Wilson did show improvement from 2022 to 2023—his numbers going from 16 touchdowns and 11 interceptions in 2022 to 26 touchdowns and eight interceptions in 2023—the question remains about his future.

At 35, Wilson’s once-stellar career is under scrutiny. If he can deliver above-average quarterback play, the Steelers would be in a better position than last season. Should he return to even 75% of his former self, Pittsburgh could finally end their playoff drought, which has persisted since their last playoff win in the 2016 season. There’s hope that Wilson might be the key to breaking that long-standing streak.

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