There has been a lot of noise recently with the Pittsburgh Steelers, and by noise I’m talking about those “reports” which have been circulated pertaining to the Steelers quarterback position.

First, it was Gerry Dulac’s cutting report about Arthur Smith handcuffing Russell Wilson in the final stretch of the season, not allowing him to make any changes or checks at the line of scrimmage.

What happened to the Steelers offense after that outburst in Cincinnati? Here’s what… https://t.co/5wmJyzqC2C via @PittsburghPG

— Gerry Dulac (@gerrydulac) February 4, 2025

Then there were the rebuttals from multiple reporters who said that wasn’t the case, and that Wilson is likely on his way out of Pittsburgh. One of those reporters was FOX Sports Jay Glazer, who is very close friends with Mike Tomlin.

Biggest scoop yet. Jay Glazer says Russell Wilson won’t be back with Steelers. Doesn’t sound bullish on Fields either. FYI-Glazer is Tomlin’s best friend in football media. pic.twitter.com/X4NrCBV5Hx

— Andrew Fillipponi (@ThePoniExpress) February 6, 2025

Throughout it all, many fans might wonder what, and who, to believe this offseason? An offseason which might be extremely tumultuous on many levels. Luckily for you, there are some simple ways you can decipher what these reports are truly trying to do. Because all of these reports which surface this offseason they are all released for a reason.

Even for us here at SCN, who have a source inside the facility, you realize the information you receive is information the individual is okay with getting out to the masses. The same is true for almost all of these reports or leaks which occur this offseason, they are put out for a reason.

Let’s create a simple flow chart to help you decipher fact, from fiction, this offseason:

• Is the report you are seeing/hearing “slanted”? In other words, does it favor one side or the other?
• If the answer is “Yes” to the above, who does it favor?
• Lastly, who benefits from this report?

We can now perform this very flow chart based on the report from Gerry Dulac on Russell Wilson and Arthur Smith’s “beef”.

• Is the report slanted? Absolutely.
• Who does it favor? Russell Wilson.
• Who benefits from this report? The aging veteran quarterback who is about to hit free agency and wants to help change the narrative surrounding him before he finds his next team.

Immediately you can see the information Dulac received was most likely coming from Wilson’s camp, probably his agent, and was written knowing it will make the organization look bad, but also help Wilson create a narrative/excuse for a poor finish to the 2024 season.

I’m not suggesting Dulac is lying, but when you then go through the process you can see who, and why, the report was circulated.

Let’s to do the same thing with a report from Mark Kaboly, formerly of The Athletic and now a part of the Pat McAfee show, who said the same thing about Russell Wilson and Arthur Smith at season’s end.

• Is the report slanted? No, Kaboly simply stated he was hearing things weren’t very copacetic between the quarterback and coordinator at the end of the season.
• Who does it favor? No one.
• Who benefits from this report? The fans, based on them getting more information on what is going on behind closed doors.

In case you aren’t familiar with that report, you can see/hear about it below:

We’re learning a lot about the Pittsburgh Steelers..@MarkKaboly is reporting that Artie Smith and Russell Wilson didn’t have a very good working relationship #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/xcXaL4Tuoy

— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) January 15, 2025

These reports are just heating up and will continue throughout the entire offseason until a quarterback decision is made, and even then there will be other reports of trades/acquisitions this offseason. Being able to take a step back, remove the knee jerk reaction, and see what is really happening will be a very useful skill this offseason and moving forward.

To hear more about this topic, and more, check out my Friday “Let’s Ride” podcast in the podcast player below: