Jason Kelce: Russell Wilson is the ‘Only Missing Piece’ at ‘Extremely Dangerous’ Pittsburgh Steelers

Published 03/13/2024, 10:37 AM EDT

Russell Wilson is heading to Pittsburgh for the new NFL season less than two years after he was handed a hefty 5-year contract at the Broncos. The Steelers were eager to bring him in as they look to become the team with the most Super Bowl wins. Wilson’s one-year deal with the Steelers attracted the attention of Jason Kelce and the current Super Bowl champion Travis Kelce who think Wilson’s acquisition could do wonders for the Pittsburgh side.

The brothers discussed Wilson’s move on the latest episode of the New Heights podcast as a new era kicks in at Pittsburgh.

Russell Wilson will bring a “veteran presence” to Steelers’ locker room

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Jason may be out of the NFL now, but he’s keeping a close watch on everything happening. And the biggest news of the past week was about Wilson. Russ had signed a $1.2 million, 1-year deal with the Steelers and Jason Kelce believes it could be a game changer for the Steelers. Speaking on New Heights he said, “Russell gets to start fresh here in Pittsburgh, he’s had proven success in his past.” Jason then mentioned how his presence on the field could boost the Steelers.

He continued, “Dude, this is like the only missing piece right now in Pittsburgh. If Russ is even close to the quarterback he used to be, this is an extremely dangerous team with what they’re working on the defensive side of the ball. Hearing this Travis Kelce chimed in with thoughts on Wilson’s big move.

Travis Kelce added, “I don’t even know about “what he used to be”. That guy was still balling in Denver at times man, I’ve seen him dice up some teams and make some good throws. I mean, we lost to Denver I think in Denver last year. I think Russ has a lot of good football left in him man. He’s got that “it” factor about him that we’ve seen so many times, and sure enough he’ll bring some veteran presence to that locker room.” The Chiefs tight end also pointed out that with Mike Tomlin as a coach and Wilson in their ranks, the Steelers have improved.

“We all know how good of a coach Tomlin is and how good that defense it is. So Steelers definitely just got better for sure,” Travis Kelce said. Russell Wilson’s move to Pittsburg came after his struggles in Denver, where he endured the worst season of his career in 2022. He went 4-11 under Nathaniel Hackett in his debut campaign for the Broncos.

Wilson’s resurgence under Sean Payton proved short-lived before he was dropped for their final two games of the previous campaign. Less than two years ago, he was handed a five-year, $250m contract extension which means Denver’s decision to offload him set them back a record $89m in dead cap charges over the next two seasons.

But as the Kelce brothers pointed out for Wilson this would be a fresh start. On the podcast, Travis Kelce did mention he has seen Wilson “dice up teams” and guess what, the Chiefs were one of the teams that Wilson and Co. had “diced” up last season to make history.

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Broncos’ historic win over the Chiefs last season

Can you believe it had been 2,962 days since September 17, 2015, the Broncos’ last win over the Chiefs? That’s the last time the Broncos managed to snag a win against the Chiefs, with a Peyton Manning-led team clinching victory in a dramatic game. That too thanks to a last-minute fumble recovery touchdown. Fast forward to Week 8 last season, and the Broncos were staring down a 16-game losing streak to the Chiefs.

Before that Sunday, Patrick Mahomes had a flawless record against divisional rivals on the road. He boasted a 12-0 streak against the Broncos. That winning streak just got snapped that very Sunday. The Broncos pulled off what was the biggest surprise of the NFL season at that point. They beat the Chiefs 24-9 and went into their bye week on a high. The Chiefs, on the other hand, had a day to forget. The game was a bit of a mess for the Chiefs, with five turnovers, no luck in the red zone, and a shaky third-down conversion rate.

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With one Super Bowl win to his name in 2014, will Russell Wilson inspire the Steelers to clinch the Lombardi Trophy for the first time since 2009? That would make them the most successful NFL franchise of all time and Wilson would love to make some more history.

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Written by:

Jakso James is an NFL Writer at EssentiallySports. Jakso’s analysis takes a reader around the league with a look at the player strategies and stats. An ardent football lover himself, he developed a strong connection with the Denver Broncos as he witnessed Russell Wilson break the barriers.

Edited by:

Anuj Jacob

Jason Kelce: Russell Wilson is the ‘Only Missing Piece’ at ‘Extremely Dangerous’ Pittsburgh Steelers

Russell Wilson will bring a “veteran presence” to Steelers’ locker room

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