When you play in the AFC North, you will face tough sledding for success. All four of the NFL’s premier cold-weather, hard-nosed division teams — the Ravens, Steelers, Bengals, and the Browns — finished with a winning record in 2023. The shared hatred these franchises have for one another also makes for some of the league’s best rivalries. And Russell Wilson got his first taste of AFC North football in 2024.
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The 10-time Pro Bowler joined the Pittsburgh Steelers last offseason and helped them earn a playoff berth. He began his Steelers career with a 6-1 record but lost his final five contests (including playoffs). Following the disheartening finish, there’s a debate about whether Pittsburgh should move on from Wilson.
Former NFL wideout Brandon Marshall discussed Wilson’s future on the I AM ATHLETE podcast. His co-host, Mike Sims-Walker, thinks Mr. Unlimited would be wise to leave the Steelers on his own accord. In Sims-Walker’s mind, Wilson has a better chance of returning to the Super Bowl if he changes divisions. His reason? A two-time MVP plays roughly 250 miles away.
“Russell Wilson needs to leave the Pittsburgh Steelers because of Lamar Jackson. He’s never gonna win the AFC North with Lamar Jackson at the helm over there in Baltimore,” Sims-Walker explained.
The Ravens captured the AFC North a season ago despite sitting two games behind the Steelers with four weeks left in the campaign. Baltimore then beat Pittsburgh 28-14 in the playoffs to end Wilson’s first year in black and gold. But should Russ part ways with the Steelers because of Jackson?
ChatGPT responds to Sims-Walker’s claim
Marshall utilized ChatGPT — an artificial intelligence algorithm — to counter Sims-Walker’s assertion. The AI service did not think Jackson’s employment in the AFC North was reason enough for Wilson to depart the Steel City. It asked Sims-Walker if he had the same advice for other quarterbacks in the division.
“Should Joe Burrow leave Cincinnati [too?]… the Steelers don’t need Wilson to be the best quarterback in the division. They need him to be good enough to win games and make the playoffs… Pittsburgh has historically played Lamar [Jackson] better than most teams… if the defense holds up and Wilson plays efficient, mistake-free football, Pittsburgh can beat anyone,” Marshall presented ChatGPT’s arguments.
Jackson has never finished worse than 11-4 when he plays 15 or more games in a season. The Ravens’ signal-caller has touched that threshold four times and won the division on three of those occasions. Pittsburgh captured the AFC North crown in the lone campaign Jackson didn’t (2020).
Wilson could potentially have an easier path to the playoffs in another division. However, ChatGPT says that wouldn’t be a “winning mentality”. It also stated the Steelers must “commit to the scheme that plays to Wilson’s mobility and deep ball”.
There are several proven veteran quarterbacks available this offseason. Wilson, Aaron Rodgers, Matthew Stafford, and Kirk Cousins all represent potential stopgap starters. Pittsburgh will have choices once the new league year begins. Whether they deem Wilson to be the best of those remains to be seen.
