NFL
By: Mark T. Wilson
The Pittsburgh Steelers are 9-3 sitting atop the AFC North ahead of the Baltimore Ravens while holding a better record than the Houston Texans and are right on the heels of the Kansas City Chiefs and the Buffalo Bills. And that’s all due to the play of QB Russell Wilson.
With Wilson leading the way, the Steelers are 5-1 under his leadership. With that, is there any doubt who should win NFL Comeback Player of the Year this season? While this award could be reserved for players who suffered injuries the season before and then redeemed themselves, what Russell had to endure last season while with the Denver Broncos, should have him atop the list.
His trade to the Broncos was viewed the same way that Aaron Rodgers’ arrival with the New York Jets was. Both quarterbacks were expected to lead their new team to championship play, and well, neither happened. Wilson’s time in Denver was a complete disaster, so much so that many questioned if he should retire.
In his two seasons with the Broncos, Wilson as a starter went 11-19. In 2023, the Broncos weren’t an awful team but it was clear that Wilson was not the answer for them. The Broncos cut him and the Steelers picked him up on the cheap side for $1.2M. But then the team still decided to make a trade for QB Justin Fields just in case.
With Fields starting the first few games of the season with the Pittsburgh Steelers jumping out to a 4-2 record, the whispers grew louder if Wilson was done as he sat out the first leg of the season dealing with an injury. Would Russell Wilson ever see the field as a full-time starter for the Steelers?
Yes, he would and in Week 7, he made his debut and hasn’t looked back since. Mike Tomlin made what many consider a gutsy call but was it? Wilson was named the starter before the season began and Fields was just holding the fort down until the veteran QB was healthy enough to take the reigns.
However, there were still many questioning Tomlin’s call to go with Wilson. All Wilson has done since then is make believers out of non-believers. Everything he was crucified for in Denver, he’s now being praised for with the Steelers. The offense is rolling. The team is winning and he’s playing as he was with the Seattle Seahawks. The mobility is gone but his decision-making has this team on the verge of something special.
While Sam Darnold is playing great for the Minnesota Vikings, Russell Wilson is the top choice to walk away with the Comeback Player Award. Put the numbers aside for a moment, his career was on its last leg. He was dragged through the media and at one point, was asked to not even see the field when he became healthy.
In his 5 starts, Wilson has gone 94-149 for 1212 yards with 7 TDs and 2 INTs with a completion percentage of 63.1. Wilson is a winner and has been the majority of his career. But what transpired in Denver put a stink on his career. He’s done everything possible to clean himself off and by doing so, he’s leading a team many figured would be at the bottom of the standings. And yet, here they are with the 3rd best record in a tough AFC, and Wilson is at the forefront of it all.
The Pittsburgh Steelers have 5 games left and anything can happen, but up to this point, if the award was given out today, Russell Wilson is the 2024 NFL Comeback Player of the Year.
