Steelers insider spills details of how Russell Wilson got on the wrong side of OC Arthur Smith

It was another typical season for the Pittsburgh Steelers under head coach Mike Tomlin. They got rid of Kenny Pickett in the offseason to bring both Russell Wilson and Justin Fields to town on one-year deals, but while Fields staked a claim for the QB1 spot, Wilson came back from injury and swooped in to be named the starter for the rest of the year.

The season followed a familiar pattern for the Steelers under Tomlin. They were good enough to make the playoffs but got bounced in the first round by Lamar Jackson's Baltimore Ravens. Now, the Steelers have a decision to make: whether to bring Russell Wilson back or Justin Fields.

One factor influencing this decision is the rumored rift between Wilson and offensive coordinator Arthur Smith. Last month, Steelers insider Mark Kaboly reported that Wilson and Smith weren't exactly on the same page during the season:

"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 reported.

Another Steelers insider also weighed in on the situation this week. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Gerry Dulac added a few more details regarding the friction between the pair:

“According to several sources, Smith did not want Wilson changing plays at the line of scrimmage, like he did in Cincinnati, and deviating from the game plan,” Dulac reported. “Wilson’s desire to attack with the pass and throw down the field clashed with Smith’s run-first mentality, causing philosophical friction between the two.”

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Russell Wilson, Steelers stand at crossroads entering 2025 season

Steelers brass has expressed interest in re-signing one of their two quarterbacks. While Fields is a more affordable option to build around, Wilson didn't quite recapture his former glory with the Steelers. This decision is further complicated by the rumored rift between Wilson and offensive coordinator Arthur Smith.

Franchise icon Ryan Clark believes the Steelers should give Fields another shot. During an appearance on NFL Live, Clark made the case for Fields:

"Think they should re-sign Justin Fields. And here is why. I think you figure out, 'Can he be the guy for the future?' And if he bombs, at least, you can go high in the draft and get you somebody good, somebody that could play."

"There's nobody on the market that you're going to be able to get that's going to come in there and outplay Justin Fields. ... Re-sign Justin Fields. ... If you hit the top of his potential, you have your guy."

Franchise owner Art Rooney II has already made it clear they will sign just one of the two QBs, leaving the door open to drafting a developmental QB in the 2025 NFL Draft.