Steelers' Russell Wilson, Arthur Smith Reportedly Had Rocky Relationship Throughout 2024

Tomlin disputed the rumor, saying the quarterback and offensive coordinator had a good working relationship.
Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith stands on the sidelines with quarterback Russell Wilson.
Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith stands on the sidelines with quarterback Russell Wilson. / Barry Reeger-Imagn Images
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The future of both Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson and offensive coordinator Arthur Smith is up in the air this offseason as Wilson is set to become a free agent and Smith is interviewing for a couple of NFL head coaching positions.

It might be best for one or both of them to move on from the Steelers as they reportedly didn't have the best working relationship during the 2024 season, Steelers insider Mark Kaboly reported this week. Here's what Kaboly shared about what he's heard about their partnership.

"Still, despite Wilson and Smith spending countless hours together after the typical workday watching film and publicly joking about it, a team source recently said that Wilson and Smith did not have a very good working relationship but fought through their differences as best they could," Kaboly wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.

However, coach Mike Tomlin has since disputed these rumors, saying that he thought Wilson and Smith had a "good working relationship."

“I thought it was pretty good and fluid,” Tomlin said. “I know they do an awesome time of spending time together and communicating formally and informally. We're not paid by the hour in this business, and I think their willingness to work and work together is kind of a reflection of that sentiment.”

Smith did seem to be in favor of starting Justin Fields over Wilson, even when the latter recovered from his calf injury that forced him to miss the first six games of the season. That might've been the catalyst for how their relationship got off to a rocky start.

Both Wilson and Smith have made it apparent that they want to remain in the Steelers organization in the 2025 season, so there could be more opportunity to grow and improve their relationship.


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Madison Williams
MADISON WILLIAMS

Madison Williams is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated, where she specializes in tennis but covers a wide range of sports from a national perspective. Before joining SI in 2022, Williams worked at The Sporting News. Having graduated from Augustana College, she completed a master’s in sports media at Northwestern University. She is a dog mom and an avid reader.