Ever since he joined the team in March, Russell Wilson has been the favorite to serve as the Pittsburgh Steelers starting quarterback in 2024. Now, days ahead of his starting debut in black and yellow, Wilson has also been voted one of Pittsburgh's four captains for the new season.
Steelers players were asked to identify the teammates who "make sure the standard is the standard" inside the locker room: players who can be counted on by both coaches and players, and who "uphold what being a Steelers player is all about." Wilson is the sole representative for the offense, while defensive lineman Cameron Heyward, pass rusher T.J. Watt and safety Miles Killebrew round out the captains.
Wilson's election is notable considering Heyward, Watt and Killebrew are all repeat Steelers captains, while the veteran quarterback has yet to take his first official snap for Pittsburgh. Technically speaking, Wilson was also not guaranteed to open 2024 as the starting signal-caller, with coach Mike Tomlin for months leaving the door open for fellow offseason acquisition Justin Fields to claim the No. 1 job.
What can Wilson's captainship tell us about his prospects as the Steelers' starter? The past is not a direct influence on the 2024 Steelers, but it's worth noting that each of the last three Pittsburgh quarterbacks to be named a team captain proceeded to last just a single season in that role: Ben Roethlisberger (2021) went one-and-done in the playoffs before retiring, Mitchell Trubisky (2022) was quickly benched for Kenny Pickett, and Pickett (2023) was traded this offseason, just two years after arriving as a first-round draft pick.
Coincidence? Perhaps, as it simply reinforces the reality that Pittsburgh has struggled to identify and/or develop a proper long-term successor to Roethlisberger. In the meantime, Steelers fans can at least rest assured that players believe in Wilson as a standard-setter going into his own audition for the job.