Even though the Giants signed Russell Wilson, the talks about the 36-year-old’s drama with the Steelers are not coming to an end. The Giants signed him for a one-year $21,000,000 deal after hitting the free agent. Though the Super Bowl champion, who scored 16 TD for passing 2482 yards with a CMP% of 63.7% in 2024, wanted to remain a Steeler, God had other plans. 

It may look like Russ had a great season, and that’s why he wanted to be in Pittsburgh, but that’s not the case. There was reportedly a feud he was involved in with Mike Tomlin’s subordinate. Arthur Smith, the offensive coordinator of the Steelers. It is said that the rift in QB and OC’s opinions must have cost them the previous season. And the whole football world became aware of what happened in the Steelers’ locker room last season.

And that pissed the Pittsburgh great Ben Roethlisberger. Ben Roethlisberger brought up the topic on Footbahlin‘s latest episode. According to many insiders, the most heated topic in the Steelers was power at the quarterback position. It is said that Wilson did not get enough freedom when he was playing the signal-caller’s role in Pittsburgh. 

Big Ben said, “Arthur Smith has to understand he has to let the quarterback have some rein.” Ben also added, “I was told he really pulled the reins back on Russ. In the two-minute drill, [he] wouldn’t let Russ call his own plays. You have to let a quarterback do that stuff.” Arthur Smith, the offensive coordinator of the Steelers, reportedly did not provide enough space to Russell Wilson. And it is said that because of the conflict between QB and OC, the Steelers lost those games at the tail end of the season. 

But the feud might have ended after the Steelers made a decision to move on from Russell Wilson and backup QB, Justin Fields. Currently, they want a veteran QB like Aaron Rodgers, which is quite shocking. It should be the other way. If the coaches have differences in opinion with vets, the Steelers should move on to a more flexible and young QB from the draft, right? Well, let’s see how Mike Tomlin’s gonna tolerate the Aaron Rodgers saga. 

But you know, even after the Steelers have moved on, the fans still wonder what led to this rift between Russell Wilson and the OC. It makes fans wonder how Arthur Smith played a villain’s role. The team was doing good and they reached the playoffs, but the feud was a black spot on their reputation. And that’s why Ben Roethlisberger ripped the organization apart where he spent 18 seasons. 

The rift between OC and QB in Ben Roethlisberger’s Steelers

Have you seen that video on social media where the Atlantic ocean’s fresh water meets with the salty Pacific ocean? They meet but cannot merge like other fluids. They do not meet. That’s what happened in Ben Roethlisberger’s Steelers when Arthur Smith had a rift with Russell Wilson before the latter’s departure. According to different sources, Russell Wilson changing the game at the scrimmage line triggered offensive coordinator Arthur Smith. 

Russell Wilson’s dynamic style of play clashed with Arthur Smith’s well-planned and organized mind. The OC had an interest in not changing the game he already discussed with Russell, under any circumstances. But this only confirms that it was an ego battle. According to the Post Gazette, “Wilson’s desire to attack with the pass and throw down the field clashed with Smith’s run-first mentality, causing philosophical friction between the two.” It is said that Arthur has this style of planning the game and executing it as it is developed since his Cincinnati days. 

Alright. But it costed the team their season. Maybe the turnovers that we saw late in the season were a result of the feud. Fans just hope that Mike Tomlin would work upon building a tight-knit roster before moving on to the upcoming season.