Free agent cornerback Patrick Peterson said that quarterback Russell Wilson and the Pittsburgh Steelers were a “match made in heaven” during an “Good Morning Football” appearance on Thursday.
Wilson will turn 36 midway through the 2024 campaign and is coming off two rough seasons with the Denver Broncos. Still, Peterson — who spent last season in Pittsburgh before being released — believes that head coach Mike Tomlin can turn him around.
With Bill Belichick’s departure from the New England Patriots, the 51-year-old Tomlin is now the longest-tenured head coach in the league. He is preparing for his 18th season with the Steelers.
Pittsburgh hasn’t made the Super Bowl in over a decade and hasn’t made it past the wild-card round in six seasons, but Tomlin’s consistency since taking over has been stunning. The Steelers have never had a losing season in his 17 years at the helm while making two Super Bowl appearances and capturing one championship.
Of course, most of that came with six-time Pro Bowler Ben Roethlisberger under center.
“Big Ben” wrapped up his career following the 2021 season with a career record of 165-81-1, plus a 13-10 mark in the playoffs. In Tomlin’s three seasons without Roethlisberger under center (he was limited to two games in 2019 due to an elbow injury), Pittsburgh has gone just 27-23 with one postseason appearance.
"I think this is a match made in heaven… When you have a head coach that has the ability to gear his team up for whatever that presents itself and then you have a QB that has that same fire… That could be a dangerous football team."@P2 on Russell Wilson to the Steelers pic.twitter.com/Xebp9DWhJ4
— Good Morning Football (@gmfb) March 14, 2024
Wilson made all nine of his Pro Bowls during his run with the Seattle Seahawks from 2012-2021, leading the team to eight playoff appearances and one Super Bowl title.
While with the Broncos, he recorded a 63.3 completion percentage for 6,594 passing yards, 42 touchdowns, 19 interceptions, and a 90.9 passer rating. Denver released Wilson this week, and the former Walter Payton Man of the Year joined the Steelers.
