“You fightin’ for your career, act like it!” Stephen A. Smith sounds off on Russell Wilson amidst struggles at Steelers

Veteran ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith wants Russell Wilson to come out of his shell and fight for his place in Steelers against Justin Fields.

“You fightin’ for your career, act like it!” Stephen A. Smith sounds off on Russell Wilson amidst struggles at Steelers

Stephen A. Smith tells Russell Wilson to take his Steelers job seriously (Image via IMAGO/ X)

Stephen A. Smith is tired of Russell Wilson not taking his job at the Pittsburgh Steelers seriously—fighting for the #1 quarterback job with Justin Fields. There’s still no clear winner for the starting role, but Fields so far has made better use of the pre-season friendlies, showing off his skillset while Wilson looked shaky and unsettled during his few reps on week 2.

In a recent interview, the 36-year-old revealed he wasn’t too worried about it and claimed he believed in his abilities. This ticked off Stephen A. Smith. In typical Stephen A. fashion, he went off against Wilson on Thursday’s segment of ESPN’s First Take.

YouTube video
Russell Wilson, you’re beginning to piss me off. Somebody’s gotta say it, so I’m gonna say it… You stunk last year. You’re getting paid $37.8 million to go away. The Denver Broncos is willing to eat nearly $38 million to get rid of you, and you sitting there fighting for a starting job with Justin Fields.
Stephen A. Smith said

Smith further highlighted that Wilson should count himself lucky to be facing Justin Fields as competition and not the likes of Josh Allen or Lamar Jackson. He is also not part of a situation like another veteran, Aaron Rodgers. The 40-year-old is the only main guy for the New York Jets.

FS Video
You ain’t Aaron Rodgers… You’ve gotta show up. You're wearing black and gold now and you're a Steeler. I don’t wanna hear that stuff from him. Too cool for school. You fighting for your career. Act like it, Russell Wilson.
Stephen A. Smith said

Smith took his jab to another level, saying the only good memory of Wilson’s stint in Denver was his wife and singer Ciara.

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What did Russell Wilson say to make Stephen A. Smith mad?

Wilson went through a couple of bad years in Denver and was eventually benched in his final season before getting cut with a $38 million dead cap on tow. He moved to Pittsburgh for a fresh start but found competition from Fields and has dealt with a calf injury the entire offseason.

"You fightin’ for your career... Act like it" Stephen A. Smith sounds off on Russell Wilson amidst struggles at Steelers
Russell Wilson (Image via IMAGO)

Head coach Mike Tomlin listed Wilson as the starter for their final pre-season game, and it’s in his best interests to make sure the starting job remains his in September. After all the negativity, it will not be surprising for him to use motivation to perform well and answer his critics. However, Wilson isn’t fazed by the criticism.

I think ultimately I focus on, as I mentioned to you guys—obviously my faith means everything to me. God chose me for this, and He chose me to play this game… And so, for me, I don’t really focus on the outside part of it; I just focus on what God put in the inside.
Russell Wilson said per NBC Sports

Wilson had 3,070 yards with 26 touchdowns and eight interceptions in 15 games for the Broncos in 2023. They were very close to reaching the playoffs for the first time since 2015, when Peyton Manning won the Super Bowl.

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