All Steelers

Stephen A. Smith Blasts Steelers QB

The ESPN commentator did not hold back on his anger toward the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback.

Noah Strackbein

Aug 17, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson (3) looks to pass against the Buffalo Bills during the first quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Barry Reeger-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 17, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson (3) looks to pass against the Buffalo Bills during the first quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Barry Reeger-USA TODAY Sports / Barry Reeger-USA TODAY Sports
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PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Steelers remain confident Russell Wilson will lead them through a successful season in 2024, and despite some competition with Justin Fields, Wilson has remained the starter throughout training camp and the preseason.

What stands out the most about Wilson is his level of professionalism. No matter what, whether it's dealing with a calf injury or having a rough preseason debut, Wilson remain optimistic about how the Steelers can succeed.

Not everyone is pleased with the way he goes about it, though. ESPN's Stephen A. Smith didn't hold back, calling out Wilson for how he's handling the mishaps of the Steelers offense this preseason.

"I’m gonna say it on national television. Russell Wilson, you’re beginning to piss me off," Smith said. "Somebody gotta say it, so I’m gonna say it ... You stunk last year. You were paid $37.8 million to go away. The Denver Broncos is willing to eat nearly $38 million to get rid of you.

"And you’re sitting there fighting for a starting job with Justin Fields. You ain’t fighting for no start[ing] job with Josh Allen or Lamar Jackson or somebody. It’s Justin Fields you’re [fighting] for a job with, and he is sitting there with some smile on his face talking about, ‘Everybody just needs to relax.’ You ain’t Aaron Rodgers.”

Smith didn't stop there, calling out his time in Denver. With the Broncos, Wilson had an 11-19 record with 42 touchdowns and 19 interceptions. The team decided to move on this offseason, and Smith is reminding the quarterback of what happened.

"The only thing good that you brought to Denver was Ciara. That was it. And he just stop it," Smith said. "All of this smiling and going off and getting along and all of this other stuff. I don’t want to hear that stuff from him."

The Steelers are expected to roll into the season with Wilson as their starter no matter how the preseason finale turns out. But clearly, not everyone agrees they should.

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Noah Strackbein
NOAH STRACKBEIN

Noah is the Publisher for All Steelers, Inside the Panthers (InsideThePanthers.com) and Inside the Penguins (InsidethePenguins.com), and is the host of All Steelers Talk (YouTube.com/AllSteelersTalk). A Scranton native, Noah made his way to the Pittsburgh sports scene in 2017. Now, he's pretty much full-yinzer.

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