Steelers rumors: Russell Wilson and Arthur Smith's relationship grew sour over the course of season, claims insider

Russell Wilson is widely regarded as one of the best dual-threat quarterbacks in NFL history. However, critics often cite his reputation for being difficult for coaches to manage. Now, they have another example to support their claims.

On Tuesday, Mark Kaboly, a Pittsburgh Steelers insider and contributor to Pat McAfee's ESPN show, shared a detailed post on social media addressing the quarterback's struggles to mesh with offensive coordinator Arthur Smith.

According to Kaboly, Smith, the former Atlanta Falcons coach, had initially preferred Justin Fields. However, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin overruled him six games into the season, activating Russell Wilson, who had been on injured reserve with a leg injury.

While the Steelers initially thrived under Wilson, going 6-1 at midseason, the team collapsed during the final stretch of the season. They suffered five consecutive losses, including a Wild Card elimination at the hands of the Baltimore Ravens

Kaboly suggested that despite Wilson and Smith publicly displaying solidarity — even joking about their wives checking in on them late at night—tensions were brewing behind the scenes.

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Steelers legend Ben Roethlisberger weighs in on Russell Wilson-Justin Fields debate

Meanwhile, one of the greatest players in Steelers history, two-time Super Bowl champion Ben Roethlisberger, has offered his thoughts on the Russell Wilson-Justin Fields controversy.

On Tuesday’s episode of his "Footbahlin" podcast (segment starts at 31:45), Roethlisberger suggested a pragmatic approach to the Steelers' quarterback dilemma:

"I would go to Russ and be like, 'Hey, are you willing to take $20-25 million for a year or two?' If he says yes, I would being him back. If he says no, then I would go to Justin. Not let Justin know what I asked Russ, but ask, 'Would you be willing to take $15-20 million for a year or two?'"

He also offered an alternative should both Wilson and Fields decline:

"While you're bridging andf trying to find a rookie or young quarterback, who would be your guy if both say no? Is there another guy available? A name that might need to get htrown around is (the Minnesota Vikings') Sam Darnold."

Like Wilson and Fields, Darnold is set to become a free agent on March 12.