The future of both Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson and offensive coordinator Arthur Smith is up in the air this offseason as Wilson is set to become a free agent and Smith is interviewing for a couple of NFL head coaching positions.
It might be best for one or both of them to move on from the Steelers as they reportedly didn't have the best working relationship during the 2024 season, Steelers insider Mark Kaboly reported this week. Here's what Kaboly shared about what he's heard about their partnership.
"Still, despite Wilson and Smith spending countless hours together after the typical workday watching film and publicly joking about it, a team source recently said that Wilson and Smith did not have a very good working relationship but fought through their differences as best they could," Kaboly wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
However, coach Mike Tomlin has since disputed these rumors, saying that he thought Wilson and Smith had a "good working relationship."
“I thought it was pretty good and fluid,” Tomlin said. “I know they do an awesome time of spending time together and communicating formally and informally. We're not paid by the hour in this business, and I think their willingness to work and work together is kind of a reflection of that sentiment.”
Smith did seem to be in favor of starting Justin Fields over Wilson, even when the latter recovered from his calf injury that forced him to miss the first six games of the season. That might've been the catalyst for how their relationship got off to a rocky start.
Both Wilson and Smith have made it apparent that they want to remain in the Steelers organization in the 2025 season, so there could be more opportunity to grow and improve their relationship.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Steelers' Russell Wilson, Arthur Smith Reportedly Had Rocky Relationship Throughout 2024.
