There’s a great chance new Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson will likely surpass former longtime great Ben Roethlisberger on one career list during the 2024 season. Wilson, though, would likely prefer not to pass Big Ben on this specific list.
Wilson, presumably Pittsburgh’s starter, will enter the 2024 season as the fifth-most sacked quarterback in NFL history. He’s 27 sacks away from tying Roethlisberger, whose 554 sacks is the third-highest mark in league annals. Only Hall of Famer Fran Tarkenton (570) and seven-time Super Bowl champ Tom Brady (565) were sacked more than Big Ben, who, despite those sacks, was able to put together an 18-year career that included two Super Bowl wins, three Super Bowl appearances, six Pro Bowls and a slew of individual milestones.
The 35-year-old Wilson was sacked 527 times during his first 11 seasons, an average of nearly 48 sacks a campaign. Given that average, it’s feasible to expect that Wilson will likely pass Roethlisberger this season despite the Steelers expecting to have a significantly better offensive line than in recent seasons. The Steelers’ starting offensive line is slated to include rookies Troy Fautanu and Zach Frazier and 2023 first-round pick Broderick Jones.
Despite the amount of licks he’s already taken, Wilson has raved about how good he feels as he prepares for his first season in Pittsburgh. Wilson recently said he’s “35 feeling like 25!”
“I feel the fountain of youth, man,” Wilson said during the Steelers’ recent minicamp. “I just feel revived in every way — mentally, emotionally, spiritually. I feel confident. I think at some point you got to know who you are — as a player, as a man, as a competitor. … I felt really good last year playing. I felt really confident, in the midst of everything. I think right now, I have all that confidence, times 10.”
While he’s fifth on the all-time sacked list, Wilson is not the most sacked quarterback still active. That honor belongs to Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who enters the 2024 season fourth all time with 531 sacks.
