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Tag: Russell Wilson
Former Seahawks DT Brandon Mebane assigns blame to Super Bowl XLIX interception
Former Seahawks DT Brandon Mebane assigns blame to Super Bowl XLIX interception
It is Super Bowl Sunday, which unfortunately, means Seattle Seahawks fans are forever condemned to relive one of the most iconic moments in Super Bowl history… which is simultaneously the single most painful memory in the entire history of Seattle sports: Russell Wilson throwing an interception at the goal line to Malcolm Butler to lose Super Bowl XLIX.
A decade later, this play still haunts the Pacific Northwest, and forever will. Yet with each passing year, we learn more and more about that fateful moment. Former Seahawks defensive tackle Brandon Mebane, who was on the sideline when the incident-in-question occurred, recently spoke about it to KIRO’s own Gee Scott on his radio program.
Mebane recalls seeing former Seahawks backup Tavaris Jackson reacting to the play call.
“So Tarvaris Jackson — I’m kind of not near him, but I can see him — has an earpiece in his ear, and they call the play. Tavaris Jackson says, ‘Nooo! Don’t run that play.’ He turns his back and walks up the sideline away from the play. And I’m like, ‘Where is he going, and why did he say don’t run that play?’ But he said don’t run that play. He walks back, and then they ran the play. And you know what happened after that.”
Initial reaction would certainly suggest blame lies at the hands of offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell, who called the play. This is the position running back Marshawn Lynch certainly has.
However, Mebane appears to be offering a new explanation. While Bevell may have made the play call, clearly, there were audibles quarterback Russell Wilson was empowered to make at the line. This is what Mebane is alleging in his recent interview, that Wilson himself made the ultimate decision to throw the ball at the goal line.
“Russell pops up and said, ‘Man, they was in goal line (formation), that’s why I threw the ball.'” Mebane declared. “I said, ‘Oh, OK,’ and then I walked off. So, pretty much, Russell changed the play. It was one play. Russell changed the play to that play and then what happened happened.”
The play will live on in infamy, a memory the 12th Man will forever be cursed to relive (in some capacity) each February. As far as I can remember, this is the first time I recall a former teammate directly calling out Wilson with sole-ownership of the interception.
In the end, we may never know who is truly to blame, or if there even is one singular reason why it happened. What we do know is it ended the championship aspirations of the Legion of Boom, as the Seahawks have still yet to return to even the NFC Championship game… let alone the Super Bowl.
“I think about how close we were to winning the second one,” Mebane reminisces. “And I think we could have went to three. I think we could have gone to one in 2012 if (OLB) Chris Clemens didn’t get hurt. I think we’d have had a great opportunity to play in that Super Bowl.”
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Steelers in awkward position with pending quarterback market
The Steelers want to re-sign one of their free-agent quarterbacks but have to negotiate with both of them.
There’s an old saying that says, “If you have two starting quarterbacks, you don’t have one.” This was true for the Pittsburgh Steelers last season with Russell Wilson and Justin Fields. Now, both guys are about to hit free agency and the Steelers could literally have no starting quarterbacks in a hurry.
ESPN NFL reporter Adam Schefter talked about the Steelers quarterback drama from the Super Bowl on Sunday. He noted that the Steelers are already talking to Wilson and plan to talk to Fields as well but he gave the impression the market for Fields will be better.
“There have been ongoing conversations between Russell Wilson and the organization about what to do in the future,” Schefter said. “Returning to Pittsburgh remains a possibility for Russell Wilson, as it does for Justin Fields, the other quarterback. The Steelers have made it very clear they’d like to bring back one of those two quarterbacks. They have spoken to Russell, they’ll be talking to Justin Fields, but there will be a market for Justin Fields.
Russell Wilson or Justin Fields?
Sam Darnold to Las Vegas?
Rodgers to run it back in New York?@AdamSchefter lays out some off-season storylines to look out for. pic.twitter.com/EvNPTwxzNP
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) February 9, 2025
The Steelers could end up losing out on both guys while trying to work out a contract with either of them. This whole situation puts the Steelers in an awkward spot depending on which quarterback they want more. They push too hard for the one they don’t want as much they could find themselves locked into a contract and if they don’t try hard enough, could miss out on both players and start from scratch.
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Report: Giants are on Russell Wilson’s free agent ‘radar’
The New York Giants are reportedly on the “radar” of impending free agent quarterback Russell Wilson, who met with Big Blue last year.
The New York Giants met with veteran quarterback Russell Wilson last offseason but in the end, nothing materialized. Instead, he opted to sign a one-year deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Wilson now appears headed back to free agency and once again, the Giants are in the market for a quarterback. General manager Joe Schoen could sign or trade for a veteran or select one in the 2025 NFL draft.
Or both.
Wilson is an intriguing option given that he’s both a fit for Brian Daboll’s offensive system and has long desired to play in New York. And while he’s not the dominant quarterback he once was, he could fill the role as a bridge quarterback quite nicely.
Unsurprisingly, the Giants are on Wilson’s free agent radar, reports Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.
Wilson loved his season in Pittsburgh and is open to returning but is taking a see-what-happens approach to it all. Ex-Pete Carroll assistants believe Wilson could coexist with Carroll for the Raiders, too, having mended fences from their Seattle days. But others around the league are skeptical of the pairing. Wilson has also been connected to the Giants by a few people this week. He visited with the Giants last free agency, and New York is on his radar as a potential option in 2025.
In 11 games this past season, Wilson completed 63.7 percent of his passes for 2,482 yards, 16 touchdowns, and five interceptions. He also rushed for 155 yards and two additional touchdowns.
By comparison, Giants quarterbacks combined for 19 total touchdowns in 17 games.
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Steelers QB Russell Wilson linked to NFC East team as 2025 destination
Russell Wilson’s offseason just got more intriguing, with reports linking the Steelers QB to the New York Giants ahead of 2025 free agency.
Russell Wilson appears to have had a very busy—and confusing—start to the 2025 offseason. Wilson originally proclaimed that the “plan” was to remain with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2025 and beyond. However, insider Gerry Dulac hinted that this may have changed, much to the delight of Justin Fields’ supporters.
From drama surrounding the relationship between OC Arthur Smith and Wilson to the arrival of the quarterback’s former HC Pete Carroll in Las Vegas practically acting as a ‘welcome mat,’ no one can truly pinpoint what 2025 has in store for the Steelers QB.
However, insider Jeremy Fowler has identified which team Wilson is interested in heading into the 2025 free agency:
“Wilson has also been connected to the Giants by a few people this week. He visited with the Giants last free agency, and New York is on his radar as a potential option in 2025.”
Wilson would fit nicely with the NY Giants, with the team boasting a great WR duo in Malik Nabers and Wan’Dale Robinson, complementing his incredible ‘moon ball.’
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Mike Tomlin’s loyalty could impact Steelers’ QB decision, per insider
Insider Jeremy Fowler reports that Mike Tomlin’s loyalty to Russell Wilson may complicate the Steelers’ chances of re-signing Justin Fields.
Fans hoping to hear news about the Pittsburgh Steelers potentially re-signing QB Justin Fields may be disappointed.
NFL insider Jeremy Fowler reported that while Fields may be the better and more favored option in Pittsburgh, HC Mike Tomlin remains loyal to Russell Wilson. And it is this loyalty that may present itself as a roadblock to bringing back Fields in 2025:
“Coach Mike Tomlin seems to have a loyalty to Wilson that could lead the team in that direction, though. Plus, Fields could have a sneaky good market and price himself out of Pittsburgh.”
Insider information should always be taken with a grain of salt, but it is troubling news nonetheless.
Wilson usurped the QB starting role in controversial fashion, as Fields had led the Steelers to a 4-2 start to the 2024 season, while the former finished out the season with a less-than-impressive 6-6 record, including the playoff loss to the Baltimore Ravens.
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1 thing that must happen for the Steelers to lure in top free agents
Pittsburgh has to solidify the quarterback position before trying to sign any top offensive free agents.
The Pittsburgh Steelers are heading into free agency with plenty of money to spend. They should also have an opportunity to make some salary-cap cuts, re-do some contracts and really be sitting pretty to be big spenders when it comes to top-tier free agents.
However, none of that is going to matter until the Steelers do one big thing first. Pittsburgh has to have a veteran starting quarterback in place. Our preference would be Justin Fields which would then allow the Steelers to use a day-two draft pick in the 2025 NFL draft on a developmental quarterback like Jalen Milroe or Will Howards.
If the Steelers do decide to pass on Fields, they cannot wait to bring in a veteran. We hope it isn’t Russell Wilson but there are some names out there like Trey Lance or Jameis Winston if Pittsburgh wants to start over.
This isn’t to say any of them are the long-term solution but if the Steelers want to lure in a player like Tee Higgins or Amari Cooper, they want to know who is throwing them the football and they want to feel confident there’s someone there who can get them the football.
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NFL reporter calls rift between Steelers OC and Russell Wilson a ploy by QB
Russell Wilson struggled down the stretch but wants everyone to believe it wasn’t his fault.
At this point, we aren’t exactly sure what is going on with the Pittsburgh Steelers and quarterback Russell Wilson. After the season, Wilson expressed his interest in returning to the Steelers and said contract talks were already happened. Then the story came out and he and offensive coordinator Arthur Smith didn’t see eye to eye on the play calling and Wilson’s decisions on the field.
But according to NFL network reporter Aditi Kinkhabwala, that story was just a ploy by Wilson’s representatives to help calm the waters from a dreadful stretch at the end of the season.
NFL insider @AKinkhabwala says on @937theFan that the Russell Wilson-Arthur Smith story was “patently false” and “one-sided”. She speculated that it was a ploy by Russell Wilson’s camp to explain his late season struggles. A strong rebuke from a very plugged in reporter.
— Andrew Fillipponi (@ThePoniExpress) February 5, 2025
This would mean Wilson isn’t working with the Steelers to return and is instead trying to partake in damage control to help him in free agency. Try and convince potential teams that his abysmal play in the final month of the season somehow wasn’t his fault.
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Steelers writer says Pittsburgh doesn’t want Russell Wilson back
The Steelers reportedly don’t want Russell Wilson back next season.
The biggest offseason decision for the Pittsburgh Steelers will be what to do at quarterback. The Steelers top two quarterbacks, Justin Fields and Russell Wilson are both set to hit free agency and it isn’t clear what direction the Steelers want to go. This is with the understanding that they will only be bringing one back.
One guy with some insight into the team is Steelers beat writer Dejan Kovacevic. He talked about the Steelers quarterback situation and offered some of his blunt insight into Wilson’s future with the team.
“I’ll keep this short and very much to the point: Russell Wilson’s not wanted by the Steelers,” Kovacevic said. “Like, at all.”
This, along with the fact that Wilson’s old head coach Pete Carroll is coming back the NFL should give the Steelers an easy out with Wilson so they can move forward with Fields as their starting quarterback.
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One CPOTY voter ranked Russell Wilson over Joe Burrow
The voting ballots have been released and they are…interesting.
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow came away with the Comeback Player of the Year award this week, his second time winning it.
In a refreshing twist, the actual votes from each person involved in the process went public, too.
And while Burrow wound up winning the award, what’s notable is where some dismissed his season while voting for others.
One notable example? The Athletic’s Dianna Russini ranked Burrow third, putting Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold and Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson over him on the ballot.
While Darnold’s comeback is unquestioned, the presence of Wilson on there — the only vote for Wilson on any ballot — will raise some eyebrows.
RELATED: Trey Hendrickson issues Bengals ultimatum over contract and trade
Burrow had an MVP-like season after coming back from a season-ending wrist injury on his throwing arm, pacing the league in passing yards (4,918) and touchdowns (43) with just nine interceptions.
Wilson, in his first year with the Steelers, appeared in 11 games, throwing for 2,482 yards and 16 touchdowns against five interceptions.
Overall, Burrow appeared worse than third place on just a handful of ballots. He was outright omitted from Tony Dungy’s top five — Sam Darnold, J.K. Dobbins, Nick Chubb, Kirk Cousins and Tim Patrick. Ditto for Diante Lee and Adam Schein.
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