Russell Wilson Thinks He’s Found ‘Fountain of Youth’
PITTSBURGH — At 35 years old, this very well could be Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson’s last chance to resurrect a once promising NFL career.
Wilson is a nine-time Pro Bowler and Super Bowl champion, but his legacy definitely took a hit the last two years in Denver. As it stands now, he’s probably a borderline Hall of Famer. Many believe he rode the coattails of a dominating defense and strong run game in Seattle.
Wilson feels revived in Pittsburgh. A fresh slate and playing for Mike Tomlin could be just what he needs.
“I feel the fountain of youth,” Wilson said at minicamp on Tuesday. “I feel revived in every way. Mentally, emotionally, spiritually – I feel confident. I think at some point you have to know who you are as a player, as a man, as a competitor. As somebody who’s been fortunate to be able to play this game, I don’t doubt it. I trust it. I felt really good last year playing. I felt really confident in the midst of everything. And so I think right now I have all that confidence times 10.”
Right now, Wilson just loves the daily grind and building a rapport with his teammates.
“You take one day at a time, and you just put in the work, man,” Wilson said. “I just think that’s the part I love,” Wilson said. “There’s nothing like doing the work. There’s no substitute. There’s no substitute for the hard work. And that’s the part I love.”
Wilson isn’t hiding information, either. He wants to give all the knowledge that he can to Justin Fields. That’s certainly a noble trait, especially given that Fields is competing with him for the starting position.
“I think there’s a great obligation in this game, for me personally, to continue to give as much knowledge as I know. … I’ve always been a huge Justin fan,” Wilson said.
Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith echoed Mike Tomlin and said Russell Wilson is in “pole position” to be the starting quarterback, but Fields will be given a fair shot at training camp.
“Russ is in the pole position,” Smith said at minicamp. “It’s a competition, obviously. Once we get to Latrobe, I’m sure things will heat up. Both of those guys knew that however they were acquired.”
Nick Farabaugh contributed reporting from Pittsburgh.
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