Russell Wilson made big moves last offseason by signing with the Pittsburgh Steelers following two tumultuous seasons with the Denver Broncos.
When the veteran quarterback was released by the Broncos, it gave him the opportunity to shop around and see where he would like to sign. The Steelers stood out to him immediately, and he recently opened up about the two moments that influenced him to land in Pittsburgh.
For starters, his hour-and-a-half phone call with coach Mike Tomlin and general manager Omar Khan made him feel welcomed and understood.
"When I got released, I was like, ‘Okay, here we go. It’s gonna be interesting.' And several teams started calling and everything else. And then all of a sudden, my first call was with Mike Tomlin and Omar," Wilson said on NFL on ESPN. "Coach Tomlin and I, we have the same vision of ball, and the love for the game and the passion behind it and the obsession with it."
Then, Wilson got to speak with two of the Steelers' biggest stars—linebacker T.J. Watt and safety Minkah Fitzpatrick. These conversations helped him make up his mind even quicker.
"I got to talk to T.J. [Watt] ... He’s a guy who’s been great, a guy who’s one of the best to ever do it, and then I got to talk to Minkah [Fitzpatrick]. Minkah, he doesn’t talk long, but he’s like, ‘Hey, you like to compete?’ And that’s all the things I love is practice and ball and getting after it. I looked at [wife Ciara] and I was like, ‘I know where we’re going.’ This felt great. And it’s been awesome since."
Wilson's decision seems to be the best one for him and for the 7–2 Steelers so far this season.
Wilson's season got off to a late start as he was dealing with a calf injury until Week 7. He's led the Steelers to three consecutive wins since. Wilson's completed 58.8% of his passes for 737 yards, six touchdowns and one interception in the three games.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Russell Wilson Details Two Key Moments That Led to Steelers Signing.
