APSeattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson stretches at the start of practice June 8, 2021, in Renton, Wash. EMAIL NEWSLETTERS

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With Mark Madden on vacation, we didn’t have a “Madden Monday” podcast this week. But we certainly did have an intriguing conversation about new Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson.

Ian Furness of KJR Radio and Fox-13 in Seattle joined us at “Breakfast With Benz” for Monday’s podcast. He covered Wilson for all 10 of his years in Seattle, prior to Wilson’s ill-fated, two-year stint in Denver from 2022-23.

“I just want to welcome you to the Russell Wilson experience,” Furness said.

It sure sounds like there is a great deal that goes into that “experience.”

“There’s a lot to Russ,” Furness said, claiming that after a harmonious start to Wilson’s career in Seattle, things started to erode over time — largely after he was more frequently in the spotlight after his marriage to pop star Ciara.

“A lot of things started to change when that happened,” Furness continued. “He kind of became a ‘Look at me guy.’ We used to joke out here, it used to be their saying was, ‘Why not us?’ Then it became ‘Look at me,’ for Russ. He just changed, and he became a problem inside the facility, with the front office and with the staff. It just snowballed from there before they traded him.”

Furness said those problems manifested in a pair of contentious contract negotiations, working with his own private quarterback coach (Jake Heaps) and a reported attempt to get coach Pete Carroll and general manager John Schneider fired — a charge Wilson has denied.

“He tried to kind of take over the organization as a player, and you saw what happened in Denver,” Furness said. “The first year, he had his own office. (Heaps) had that office every day. It kind of came to light, and everyone lost their mind. They tried to downplay it, but that’s how he operated. He operated on his own agenda. And it was about Russ. In the ultimate team sport, it was all about Russ — to the point the ‘diva quarterback’ moniker was placed on him. And for good reason.”

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As far as on the field goes, Furness gushed about Wilson’s competitiveness, his ability to win in Seattle (even though he was 11-19 in Denver), and his sustained arm strength. Furness also pointed out that some of Wilson’s failures in Denver might be on the coaching staffs of Sean Payton and Nathaniel Hackett.

But Furness did express concerns that Wilson’s trademark mobility that helped him rack up nine Pro Bowls, two Super Bowl berths and one ring may be waning.

“Does he still have the twitch?” Furness wondered. “Does he still have the speed and the quickness? He’s not a 4.3 guy. But does he still have that ability to maneuver around the pocket to make guys miss? Run for a first down if need be? That nimbleness and the athleticism that he had early in his career.”

The fact that Wilson has absorbed 100 sacks over the last two years would suggest not. But that may be more about Wilson’s lack of ability to see and use the middle of the field than it is about a deterioration of his athleticism.

And there has also been an over-reliance on short, safe passes from Wilson since he left Seattle.

Although Furness says, those issues were present dating back to Wilson’s time with the Seahawks.

“There’s always been a ‘Checkdown Charlie’ element, which is an odd thing because he’s got a gun. He’s a great, great deep ball thrower,” Furness said. “But I think sometimes stat-padding, quarterback rating, completion percentage — all those things (come into play). He’ll take the easy throw. As far as (the lack of) down-the-middle, that’s a reality. That’s always been the case. They traded for (tight end) Jimmy Graham, (and) never could use him like he should (have). They had Zach Miller during the Super Bowl years, (and) Luke Wilson was a really talented tight end. They never saw the ball down the seam unless he was rolling out. If he drops back in the pocket, the reality is (at 5-foot-11), he’s not going to see you.”

If those traits aren’t disturbingly familiar enough to Steelers fans over the past five years of quarterback play, check out this description of Wilson when he faces pressure.

“He’ll do the Russell Wilson spin around where he spins and goes backward,” Furness said. “You’ve got your left tackle who’s got his guy all the way back. … But there’s Russ spinning around (with) his back to him. He gets sacked. Then he’s all mad and saying, ‘I hate getting hit all the time.’ Well, fella, that was on you. There’s a little thing called ‘stepping up in the pocket.’ Not a big strength for him. At all. Just isn’t. Part of it is just the reality of not being very tall. He got away with it early in his career. But even early in his career, he would take some sacks because he holds on to the ball longer than average.”

Gee, a quarterback feels pressure and preemptively spins into even more traffic. Where have we ever seen that before?

As I’ve repeatedly said since Wilson was signed, I think he’ll be an improvement from what we’ve seen recently in Pittsburgh from the likes of Kenny Pickett and Mitch Trubisky at quarterback. But I need a lot of convincing before I believe Wilson is still a really good quarterback and not just a really good bargain.

Also, in the podcast, Furness and I discuss the prospect of a theoretical QB battle between Wilson and Justin Fields, how Mike Tomlin may handle the off-field challenges presented by coaching Wilson, and how Wilson will (or won’t) fit in with Pittsburgh fans.