This season, a few new Steelers players will get the chance to get revenge on their old teams.
Of them, quarterback Russell Wilson stands out the most. Wilson played with the Broncos the previous two seasons before returning to Denver in Week 2.
Due to Denver’s willingness to absorb a $53 million cap hit in 2024 and a $32 million salary hit in 2025 in exchange for Wilson, this clash has been highly anticipated. ESPN analyst Kevin Clark, nevertheless, doesn’t believe it will live up to the anticipation.
“What’s the meaning of a revenge game? Clark explained on his “This Is Football” podcast that a vengeance game is when someone is aiming to exact retribution on a team. “Randy Moss is not performing here.
Wilson’s two-year stint with the Broncos was disappointing but he seems to be getting overcriticized. He wasn’t bad by any means last season, passing for 3,070 yards, 26 touchdowns and eight interceptions.
That would be a massive upgrade for the Steelers, who saw quarterbacks Kenny Pickett, Mason Rudolph and Mitchell Trubisky combine for just 13 touchdowns and nine interceptions last year.
Still, Denver feels it is worth paying Wilson $37.79 million to not play for it this season. That says enough about how the team feels about him and why Clark doesn’t think Wilson be able to revitalize his career in Pittsburgh.
“He was objectively bad enough to say, ‘We don’t want you to be as part of our future,'” Clark added.
Wilson does seem to be set up for success in Pittsburgh as several players have already been giving new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith’s offense rave reviews.
However, only time will tell if Wilson will be able to get his revenge. The Steelers are surely hoping he gets off to a fast start since the game will be played in front of a national audience (4:25 p.m. ET) in Week 2.
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