Russell Wilson on Broncos Divorce: 'I Wouldn't Say I'm Scalded'

Russell Wilson doesn't feel like he has anything to prove in the wake of his messy divorce with the Denver Broncos.

Apr 19, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson (3) throws out a ceremonial first pitch before the Pittsburgh Pirates host the Boston Red Sox at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports / Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

As teams across the NFL continue the offseason training program, Russell Wilson is embarking on a 'prove-it' summer with the Pittsburgh Steelers. After signing a one-year deal with the Steelers worth close to the veteran minimum — thanks to the Denver Broncos paying him an exorbitant amount of money to not be their quarterback — Wilson will have to sing for his supper if he wants to be his new team's starter.

Not long after signing Wilson, Pittsburgh acquired Justin Fields via trade, which set the stage for an open competition this summer, even if the Steelers aren't exactly posturing it that way publicly. Obviously, Wilson is focused on the present, but you have to wonder whether the sting of his ugly and humiliating divorce with the Broncos has lingered.

The 13th-year pro addressed the issue following a Steelers practice this week, saying he doesn't feel like he has anything to prove.

"I wouldn't say I'm scalded," Wilson said via ESPN. "I would say that if anything, I've just learned a lot and I think that internally you get better, you get tougher. You use your experiences, use the challenges that you've gone through to be the best version of you. And so I don't blink, and I'm looking forward to the challenge and the opportunity."

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It's the typical platitude-laden answer Broncos fans have long come to expect from Wilson. Not long after being benched for the final two games of last season, the nine-time Pro Bowler exited the Mile High City like a 'scalded' dog, absconding with a ridiculous bag of loot numbering in the tens of millions of dollars. He reportedly sold his multi-million-dollar Denver mansion at a loss and high-tailed it for the Rust Belt.

The Broncos quickly turned the page on Wilson, with Sean Payton scouring the 2024 NFL draft class for his guy at quarterback and finding him in the first round in Oregon's Bo Nix. Although the salary-cap ramifications of the Wilson blunder will echo throughout the next few years, Payton got his guy and is in the process of rebuilding the roster 100% in his image without the baggage of an expensive, square-peg/round-hole quarterback to deal with.

Wilson and Payton will get to cross swords, potentially, when the Broncos host the Steelers in Week 2. That is, if Wilson vanquishes Fields this summer and holds on to Pittsburgh's QB1 gig.

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