All is apparently not well in Pittsburgh. If a recent report by Steelers insider Mark Kaboly is to be believed, QB Russell Wilson and OC Arthur Smith did not get along too well this season. It seems the duo “fought through their differences” to ensure the team remained competitive. However, Mike Tomlin has brushed aside the rumors, and Shannon Sharpe and Chad Johnson think the coach is right in not giving it credence.
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On January 15, Kaboly posted a detailed report on X stating that “a team source recently revealed that Wilson and Smith did not have a very good working relationship”. The report soon became a hot topic of debate in the NFL, so much so that Tomlin was forced to address it in the press conference after the side’s playoff loss to the Baltimore Ravens.
Shannon felt that the report, and its timing, had a lot to do with the Ravens losing a crucial matchup.
“It’s tough, Ocho, when you lose because people start looking at this as why we lose, instead of saying we just weren’t good enough. I don’t give a damn if Arthur Smith and Russell Wilson were best friends, they going out to lunch every night, they taking turns eating dinner at each other’s house. They weren’t beating the Baltimore Ravens,” Shannon said on the Nightcap podcast.
Johnson concurred and added that QBs, coordinators, and head coaches mostly get along well with each other in the NFL. Even when they don’t, they still focus on the goal: To win games, compete, and do their best for the team.
Ocho wondered whether the Steelers’ five-game losing streak played a role in the Wilson-Smith rumors. He noted that the QB-OC fallout narrative wasn’t spoken about when the Steelers were winning games earlier in the season.
“Russell Wilson came in and had success when he took over for Justin Fields. We didn’t hear any gripes. We didn’t hear any issues,” said Ocho.
“So, even if they didn’t get along, whatever it may be, it was working just fine. Now towards the end, they lost the last five. They made the playoffs, went home in the first round. Now, all of a sudden, you lost the last five, and you are saying maybe the relationship had a strain? No. Because it was doing just fine as far as from a productive standpoint,” he added.
Earlier in the season, when Wilson returned from a calf injury that sidelined him for the first six games, Smith had seemingly preferred Justin Fields as the starting quarterback. Meanwhile, Tomlin had repeatedly refused to name Fields as the team’s QB1 in Wilson’s absence. Could this have been the beginning of discord between Wilson and Smith?
The report about their fraught relationship has put a question mark on whether the two will remain in Pittsburgh next season. Two other compelling reasons are there too: Wilson is set to become a free agent next season, and Smith is in talks with multiple NFL teams for a coaching job.
But, whether the duo remains together or not, the important issue for the Steelers to address next season is their lack of playoff success. It has become too much of a trend to ignore.
