Russell Wilson gets trolled by fans as QB officially joins Steelers: "At least he does a really good presser"
In a different universe, Russell Wilson joining the Pittsburgh Steelers would have been hailed as a masterstroke. A Super Bowl champion joining the most successful and stable franchise of all time is supposed to be match made in heaven.
But after the disastrous spell with the Denver Broncos, Russell Wilson's stock is at an all-time low. He came there with the hype of following in the footsteps of Peyton Manning and John Elway and leading them to a Super Bowl. Instead, he leaves them after two consecutive losing seasons and never getting to the playoffs.
One of the most infamous memories of that era will be his rallying cry,
"Broncos Country, let's ride!"
What was supposed to be the start of a winning period for Denver instead became an albatross around his neck as he struggled to find the form that he had previously shown with the Seattle Seahawks.
And that reputation seems to be following him to Pittsburgh as well. After signing with the team, he gave a presser, as is customary, and said all the right things. But such is the level of doubt around him that people were on hand to troll him for that.
Fans took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to say to imply that this might be the only thing he is good at. There was no shortage of caustic comments and here are some of the posts that we shortlisted.
Russell Wilson hoping to avoid fatal mistake with the Steelers like he did with the Broncos
When Russell Wilson moved to the Broncos from the Seahawks, he was immediately given a separate office and a special parking spot, which is unusual for a player, to say the least. There was speculation that this made his other teammates not trust him as one of their own and that is why his performance suffered.
But in his opening press conference with the Steelers, Russell Wilson was hugely complementary of the players who were already there. He knew how to hit the right buttons by saying that T.J. Watt should have been the Defensive Player of the Year multiple times. He seemed intent on not repeating the mistake he made in Denver.
Another thing working for him seems to be that Mike Tomlin has complete belief in him. They even traded Kenny Pickett away to the Philadelphia Eagles. In Denver, Russell Wilson had to play for Nathaniel Hackett, a rookie head coach, and Sean Payton, who never trusted in him. All the conditions right now are there for him to succeed now.