Chase Merrell

On a journey to help more people become FREED UP from what's holding them back so they can BUILD UP who they were made to be!

[Chase Merrell @ChaseMerrell]

Thank YOU Russ ❤️

[Russell Wilson @DangeRussWilson]

Thank You, Football.

Love, #3

[Seattle Seahawks @Seahawks]

The pick.

Season finale of The Sound, out now » https://t.co/ly5oKnjidr

Presented by @TMobile

[Nike @Nike]

Sweet sweet victory.

[Chase Merrell @ChaseMerrell]

@Schultz_Report 111 GO HAWKS

[NFL @NFL]

the final play happened, and then...

CHAOS! @Seahawks

[Seattle Seahawks @Seahawks]

For our city. @jaxon_smith1

[Grant Cohn @grantcohn]

Instant analysis of the NFC championship.

[Chase Merrell @ChaseMerrell]

POV: You’re going back to the Super Bowl! Let’s go!!!! @Seahawks #gohawks #superbowl

[Pat McAfee @PatMcAfeeShow]

This video from the Seahawks is PHENOMENAL

#PMSLive

[Chase Merrell @ChaseMerrell]

WAR

[Bussin' With The Boys @BussinWTB]

This speech will have you ready to go to war

[Chase Merrell @ChaseMerrell]

Might as well call him Rashid “Richter Scale” Shaheed @RashidShaheed @Seahawks #Seahawks49ers #gohawks

[Chase Merrell @ChaseMerrell]

@Zephyr_hg Ideas

[CableThanos @JoshCashman_]

The Seahawks Are The #1 Seed

[Chase Merrell @ChaseMerrell]

@sammyrhodes He’s back

[Chase Merrell @ChaseMerrell]

@Danilo_Marko @ZakGraves I read it and really appreciated it.

[Chase Merrell @ChaseMerrell]

One Life One Chance

[Chase Merrell @ChaseMerrell]

Fun. When was the last time you had some? It's rare now days..

[Chase Merrell @ChaseMerrell]

Taking a hefty breather from the socials for the next year or so. But I wanted to leave you with one more retweet..

[Chase Merrell @ChaseMerrell]

@Zephyr_hg Auto

[Mark Kaboly @MarkKaboly]

“He takes the bill, obviously. He doesn’t have to do it, but he takes it every week”

Mark Kaboly / Steelers Correspondent
For The @PatMcAfeeShow

PITTSBURGH — Calvin Austin peeked at the bill once … and once was plenty enough for a guy who was a late fourth-round pick a few years ago and still playing on his rookie contract.

“Yeah, I was good after that,” Austin said with a chuckle. “Now I just say thank you and don’t even try to sneak a look anymore.”

More than 30 football players at a high-class steak house like Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steakhouse in Downtown Pittsburgh inside a private dining area and you pretty much can assume that the final bill might rival that of a price of a nice used car.

Now multiple that over eight, then nine, then eventually 17.

Russell Wilson has made over $300 million in salary over his 12-year career (much more when you include his endorsement) as one of the top quarterback in the NFL, is getting paid $39 million this year not to play for the Broncos and is married to popular singer/songwriter Ciara so it’s not about the money for Wilson – it’s about something more important than that.

“We spend so much time on the field and it is just great to be able to spend some time off the field and go to dinner and watch the game with the entire offense is just great fellowship,” Wilson said. “It is nice to come together at the end of the day and have a good time together and learn about each other off the field.”

In a tradition that he brought with him from Denver, Wilson organizes a team dinner every Thursday night in which he invites every offensive player on the team.

Whether he’s on the 53-man roster, the practice squad or on the injured reserve, that player is invited.

“Everybody is welcomed,” tight end Connor Heyward said. “He takes care of everything and it’s just a good time hanging out with all the guys outside the building. You have to understand, we are all busy and as a quarterback, you are 10 times busier but to take the time out his day — and all of us taking that time — says something.”

It’s not unusual for players to get together on a Thursday night to hang out and watch football.

It is usually reserved for individual position groups and nothing really over the top.

Reserve quarterback Kyle Allen has played in Carolina, Washington, Houston and Buffalo before coming to the Steelers in the offseason and never did much more than get together with the other quarterbacks.

“When I was in Buffalo, just the QBs would get together every week,” Allen said. “I don’t think I have been at a place where everybody went out. It’s cool especially after long Wednesdays and Thursdays – the tough days of the week – to get a good meal and watch some football.”

Highly regarded and well-respected center Maurkice Pouncey was the point man of what was said to be some legendary Thursday night meals at his home for the entire offensive line over the second half of his career.

Last year, Kenny Pickett would organize a weekly gathering with the offensive line. The tight ends would get together, the receivers, the defensive backs and so on and so forth but rarely, if ever, they would gather as an offensive unit.

But Wilson opened it up to the entire offensive unit while in Denver (it’s unknown if he did the same in Seattle.) Wilson didn’t want to expand on his gatherings in Denver instead wanted to focus on the here and now.

“My goal is to lead this team in any way possible,” Wilson said. “The relationships and friendships made have been fun.”

One of those relationships have been with tight end Pat Freiermuth.

Freiermuth, who has taken on a bigger leadership role this year, doesn’t miss the Thursday night dinner because he knows how much it means to Wilson and the players.

“It gets the boys getting to know each other outside of football,” Freiermuth said. “Just taking that extra time out of all our lives to break bread with each other means a lot. It goes a long way.”

And Wilson, who was voted a team captain, never wavered with his Thursday gathering even when he was injured during the early part of the season and wasn’t playing even though he was reportedly cleared two weeks before he started against the N.Y. Jets.

Every Thursday, the dinner went on.

“He did this when he wasn’t playing so right there, I said that this guy isn’t going to change,” Austin said. “He is a good all-around guy.”

“It was the same old Russ when he wasn’t playing and when he was,” Heyward added.

It’s gotten to the point now that teammates go to Wilson every week and ask where they are going out. Before, it was Wilson spreading the word by mouth. Now, it’s just where it’s going to held.

“At this point, we kind of just assume it’s happening,” guard Spencer Anderson said. “He will just come up to us and say we are going X, Y and Z tonight.”

The restaurant changes from week to week but it usually is a steak house that Wilson picks, and for obvious reasons when you are feeding large men. It is set up with appetizers and any entrée somebody chooses.

“The o-line is always 100% participation,” Anderson said with a chuckle. “It’s bonding, it’s fellowship. We are just there socializing, eating and having a good time. He takes the bill, obviously. He doesn’t have to do it, but he takes it every week. We all appreciate it. It’s good for the team bonding aspect.”

When the Steelers were courting Wilson in the offseason, a lot had to do with this experience and his winning ways. However, Steelers coach Mike Tomlin valued Wilson’s leadership just as much as he did his ability to throw the deep ball.

The Steelers burned their way through three different quarterbacks since Ben Roethlisberger retired following the 2021 season. A quarterback that could lead a young offense was needed in the eyes of Tomlin.

Wilson has always been a guy who leads but took on the responsibility from the day he signed with the team in March and ran with it. He hung out with teammates over dinners, went to Pirates games with them and organized a practice session with receivers in San Diego before the start of offseason workouts.

“It’s stuff you just can’t measure,” Austin said. “I’ve only been in the league for three years, but it was the first time having a team dinner like that. We know it’s every Thursday. We will go to Russ and say, ‘where are we going this week?” When we first started this, you had other things to do but now it is something that we all look forward to.”

You couple that with Wilson’s play and the Steelers might have something. They are 6-2 and in first place in the AFC North at the midway point.

Wilson is undefeated since returning from his calf injury. He’s thrown for 542 yards and three touchdowns while leading the offense to 835 yards of total offense in wins over the Jets and Giants and his quickly turned the football world into Russell Wilson believers again.

“Russ is a cool dude and a great leader,” tight end Darnell Washington said. “He is always picking us up and trying to get us better at something. He helps us with little tips about what might have worked other places where he has been. He’s always trying to make us better.”

[Seattle Mariners @Mariners]

Step out. Step out. Step out. BOOM. 💥