Pittsburgh Review

LATROBE - Russell Wilson arrived for his first training camp at Saint Vincent College with the Steelers, ready to prove himself and prepared to lead the team to its goals.

"Our mission is to win it all, to win the Super Bowl," Wilson said Wednesday as the Steelers reported here for the first day of training camp 2024. "But we've got to do the work necessary. It doesn't just happen overnight. That's in our control."

Wilson, a former Super Bowl champion who twice led the Seattle Seahawks to the NFL's championship game, understands what it takes to achieve such a goal. This experience made him an attractive acquisition for the Steelers after he was released by the Denver Broncos in a salary-cap-related move this offseason. The Steelers believe they have a team capable of contending for a championship, and in Wilson, who enters training camp in "pole position" according to head coach Mike Tomlin, they see another player who can help them reach that goal.

Wilson won a starting job as a rookie in 2012 with Seattle and knows that achieving goals requires more than just talk.

"Internally, your expectations for yourself have to be higher than everyone else's," Wilson said. "I remember when I was a rookie... I was determined I was going to take that job. That's got to be the mentality every day."

A nine-time Pro Bowl quarterback, Wilson has demonstrated this mentality throughout his career. He has led his teams to a 115-72-1 record and thrown for over 43,000 yards with 334 touchdowns compared to 106 interceptions. Last season in Denver, he completed 66.4 percent of his passes for 3,070 yards with 26 touchdown passes and eight interceptions in 15 starts.

This performance offers hope for an improved offense under new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith after last season’s struggles by Steelers quarterbacks.

To integrate into his new team effectively, Wilson organized workouts with receivers and tight ends in Los Angeles and San Diego since minicamp ended.

"We got a lot of work in... We threw a bunch at UCLA and San Diego," Wilson said. "That time and attention will pay off."

Wilson's preparation extends beyond physical workouts; he focuses on mastering the playbook as well.

"Everybody is digital nowadays, but I'm old school... I've got a pen and paper and take notes," he said.

The goal is comprehensive understanding of Arthur Smith's offensive strategy.

"It's always about trying to understand the offense in its full capacity," Wilson stated. "Arthur Smith has done a great job of making sure we have that."

With mastery of the playbook comes leadership responsibilities.

"I look at it as I have to lead us the way I'm supposed to," he said. "It's our opportunity to win... that's my focus."