Russell Wilson Being Named to AFC Pro Bowl Team Led to Lots of Jokes From NFL Fans

We should have seen that coming.
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson on Jan 11, 2025.
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson on Jan 11, 2025. / Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images
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Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson has earned a last-minute bid to the Pro Bowl, where he will be replacing injured Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen.

This will be Wilson's 10th Pro Bowl appearance, and he will be attending alongside fellow Steelers Chris Boswell (kicker), Minkah Fitzpatrick (safety), Cameron Heyward (defensive tackle), and linebacker T.J. Watt (linebacker). He also joins Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow and New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye, who stepped in for the Baltimore Ravens' Lamar Jackson, on the AFC roster.

Though Wilson has made clear he is grateful for and excited by the opportunity, the internet quickly did what it does best—or at least the most frequently—and cracked some jokes about the unexpected selection.

Check out that reaction below:

In Wilson's defense, he started his first season with Pittsburgh strong. After he finally returned from a calf injury in Week 7, the team went 6-1 across their next seven games and put up some of their best offensive performances in years. But the Steelers ended their run with a five-game skid, and surely that's the taste in everyone's mouths at the minute.

By the numbers, the 36-year-old QB completed 214 of 336 attempts and threw for 2,482 yards, 16 touchdowns, and 5 interceptions during the 2024 regular season. Allen, who is currently nursing a wrist injury, completed 307 of 483 attempts across 3,731 yards and threw for 28 touchdowns and six interceptions.


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Brigid Kennedy
BRIGID KENNEDY

Brigid Kennedy is a contributor to the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Before joining SI in November 2024, she covered political news, sporting news and culture at TheWeek.com before moving to Livingetc, an interior design magazine. She is a graduate of Syracuse University, dual majoring in television, radio and film (from the Newhouse School of Public Communications) and marketing managment (from the Whitman School of Management). Offline, she enjoys going to the movies, reading and watching the Steelers.