The Pittsburgh Steelers are going to let Russell Wilson cook.
Coach Mike Tomlin announced the nine-time Pro Bowler as the starter on Wednesday, putting an end to a largely perfunctory quarterback competition with Justin Fields in which the 35-year-old Wilson held the "pole position" as Tomlin put it for months and did little to cede ground to Fields.
Wilson will be the fourth different Week 1 starting quarterback in as many seasons for the Steelers, who have bounced from Ben Roethlisberger to Mitch Trubisky to Kenny Pickett and now to Wilson, who flamed out in two seasons in Denver but practically sprinted to Pittsburgh in hopes of reviving his career.
The Steelers revamped their offense in the offseason, flipping the quarterback room entirely and hiring former Atlanta head coach Arthur Smith as offensive coordinator.
Wilson, who signed a one-year deal on the first day of free agency, will be tasked with trying to goose up production for a unit that is the main reason Pittsburgh has failed to win a playoff game in eight years, the franchise's longest drought since the "Immaculate Reception" in 1972.
