Jordan Schultz of Bleacher Report reported that Mike Tomlin was a big reason to why Russell Wilson agreed to terms with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Schultz stated that Tomlin and Wilson both connected on a level that spanned far beyond just football during the meeting. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Wilson met with the Steelers for over six hours on Friday. He met with, amongst others, Tomlin and Arthur Smith.
Tom Pelissero of NFL Network also noted that Steelers defensive captain Cam Heyward was a strong advocate for the Steelers bringing Wilson to Pittsburgh.
“There were a couple of strong advocates for Russell Wilson in Pittsburgh throughout the process. One of them was veteran defensive lineman Cameron Heyward, who like Russell Wilson is a former Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award winner. Heyward was certainly a strong voice in the locker room, wanting Wilson brought aboard. The other was head coach Mike Tomlin, who spent a lot of time with Wilson during a visit at the team facility on Friday.”
Heyward last week joined Mike Golic and Mike Golic Jr. on the DraftKings’ Gojo And Golic podcast for an in-depth conversation on winning NFL Walter Payton Man of the Year, podcasting, Kenny Pickett, and the state of the Steelers.
In regards to the Steelers’ quarterback situation, Heyward expressed that there has to be competition at the games most important position. Pickett can’t just be handed the starting role.
“You know, I think both can be, you know, beneficial to us. Whether it’s Kenny, (Pickett) us having support behind him, and then, you know, I think competition breeds greatness. … At every position, you got to have competition. That’s how you get better. That’s how guys get pushed. Even when Ben Roethlisberger first got here, it wasn’t like he started right away, he had to earn the position,” Heyward said when asked if Pickett would be the starter or someone else in 2024. “That competition we got to have a little bit, especially after last year. You know, I thought Mason Rudolph did a pretty good job coming in the last four games and really showing that competition. Whether they bring him (Rudolph) back or not, there has to be competition in that quarterback room.”
Heyward turns 35 in May and his window of winning a Super Bowl is closing. So it’s not surprising that he would advocate for bringing in another quarterback, as Wilson is a nine-time Pro Bowler and a Super Bowl champion. Pickett, Mitch Trubisky and Mason Rudolph combined for 13 touchdown passes last season. In comparison, Wilson had a 26-8 touchdown-interception ratio and a 98.0 passer rating in 2023.
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