Ben Roethlisberger Thanks Broncos for Russell Wilson

The Denver Broncos are paying Russell Wilson nearly $38 million this year to play for the Pittsburgh Steelers, who will only pay him just over $1 million on a veteran minimum contract. It’s an absolute bargain for the Steelers, while Denver is kicking themselves for making one of the worst trades/deals in NFL history.

Former Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is just glad that Denver is footing the bill.

“Thank you, Denver, for paying,” Roethlisberger said on his Footbahlin podcast. “Denver paid Russ like $38 million to go away. Which is OK. Nine-time Pro Bowler, Super Bowl (winner). And we’re like, ‘OK, we’ll take him. Thank you.’”

Wilson and the Steelers play the Broncos at Mile High in Week 2. The storylines for that week should be endless.

Roethlisberger thought Wilson’s status as the starting quarterback was never in doubt. Unless something drastic happened, Wilson was going to be QB1. That was the plan all along from the Steelers. Mike Tomlin echoed that sentiment throughout the offseason.

“I think it was always Russ’ job,” Roethlisberger said. “I know that Coach T talked about a competition. It was probably, like, ‘Alright, Russ. There’s a 75% chance you’re getting the job. Even if Justin plays really well.’ At 75(%), it could have gotten back to (a) level playing ground. But I think it was always going to be (Wilson’s job).”

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson at training camp on Aug. 12, 2024. — Ed Thompson / Steelers Now

While Wilson is the starter, Roethlisberger thinks the fan base could switch to Justin Fields quickly if things don’t pan out right away.

“The fan base right now is, I don’t know if it’s split, but there’s definitely some Fields guys,” Roethlisberger said. “He’s strong. He’s big. He’s fast. He can run. He can make throws on the run. Russ can definitely do some of that moving and create with his legs. No doubt about it. But he’s going to sit in the pocket because that’s just what he does a little more. He’s a big play-action pass guy. … So you have some fans that want Justin. They want that elusive ‘Let’s run it.’ And then you’ve got the guy who’s probably going to start and throw. My concern is, if Russ struggles, that Justin fan base is going to start to kind of grow.”

Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated reported recently that some within the Steelers organization were pushing for Fields to be the starter over Wilson. If Wilson struggles early on, the Steelers very well could switch to Fields. I don’t think that’s a wild proposition.

“This isn’t anyone’s first rodeo in Pittsburgh, and Fields took some fundamental changes that the offensive coaches gave him (one being a return to the type of footwork he’d used at Ohio State), and really worked on them over the past few weeks of camp,” Breer wrote. “It was enough to have some folks internally push for Fields to start. There was, too, plenty of merit to the idea. But the way it is now, again, to give yourself two shots, also makes plenty of sense.”