Breaking: Rodgers Performance Under Fire From…
While future Hall of Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers couldn’t prevent the New York Jets from falling to 2-6 ahead of Halloween, veteran signal-caller Russell Wilson helped the Pittsburgh Steelers get to 6-2 by winning back-to-back starts after Wilson missed Pittsburgh’s first six games of the season due to a lingering calf injury.
During Tuesday’s edition of the ESPN “Unsportsmanlike” program, co-host and analyst Evan Cohen compared what the two players have thus far meant to their current employers.
“What Russell Wilson has provided the Pittsburgh Steelers both as a player and as a teammate is everything the New York Jets had dreamt of for Aaron Rodgers to provide them, which he has not done,” Cohen explained, as shared by John J. Kurcina of Steelers Depot.
It’s no secret that the Jets landed Rodgers via a trade with the Green Bay Packers in the spring of 2023 because New York wanted an upgrade at the sport’s most important position that could also serve as a mentor for 2021 first-round draft pick Zach Wilson.
However, Wilson’s feelings about Rodgers reportedly “soured” during the season because “Wilson barely heard from” Rodgers after the 40-year-old suffered a torn Achilles in Week 1 of the campaign. Wilson is no longer with the Jets, and Rodgers has largely looked like a past-his-prime version of his great self this season.
Meanwhile, concerns about Russell Wilson’s “ability to be a regular guy” in an NFL locker room hovered over him before he signed a team-friendly contract to join the Steelers in March.
He subsequently impressed Pittsburgh team leaders throughout spring and summer workouts, and the 35-year-old then functioned as somewhat of an extra coach for Justin Fields as Fields guided the Steelers to four wins over six starts.“Russ has fit in perfectly,” Cohen continued during the show segment. “He has handled this situation perfectly. And oh, by the way, all of the critique of Russ as the teammate…he’s on the sidelines with Justin Fields coaching him up, teaching him up [during games].”
Most importantly for the Steelers, their offense thrived across Wilson’s first two starts. In total, he completed 36-of-57 pass attempts (63.2 percent) for 542 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions to go along with one rushing score over those outings. Meanwhile, Pittsburgh notched season highs in offensive yards gained in back-to-back contests with Wilson in the lineup.
The Jets seemingly can’t move on from their Rodgers era soon enough, while the Steelers may only get better as Wilson continues to shake off the rust he accumulated over the campaign’s first month and a half. If nothing else, some within the NFL community may soon owe Wilson apologies regarding comments made during his Denver Broncos tenure.
