Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson started his first season as a starter with the Steelers with a 6-1 record. He finished 6-6, capped by the team’s most recent playoff loss dating back to 2016.
He is scheduled to become a free agent in March. Does he want to return to Pittsburgh in 2025?
“Obviously, I hope to be here,” Wilson told reporters after Saturday night’s 28-14 playoff loss to the Ravens. “No matter what, I trust God. And it’s a special, special place. And I know that God brought me here for a reason.”
The decision will be made by someone else upstairs. Or maybe it’s the trinity of owner Art Rooney II, general manager Omar Khan and coach Mike Tomlin.
For now, Tomlin wouldn’t talk about the future of the quarterback position. Indeed, he said Wilson’s play, along with the rest of the team, “wasn’t good enough.” Nevertheless, Tomlin praised Wilson for “the way he led the group out of the locker room after (the first half).”
The Steelers acquired Wilson for a one-year veteran minimum of $1.21 million, thanks to the fact that the Broncos owe him $39 million less what he earns elsewhere. The first question is whether the Steelers want to try again or go in a different direction.
All three quarterbacks (Wilson, Justin Fields and Kyle Allen) are on expiring contracts. Last year, they cleared the depth chart and started over. In the end, the result will remain the same as in 2023, so there may be another big change in the team’s most important position.
If they choose to move forward, it looks like Wilson will as well.
“I still have the ball left in me,” Wilson said.
He has never been a free agent in the traditional sense. Last year, he had a lot of cash owed to Denver. The market will decide his value this year.
Would there be a starting job if Pittsburgh went in a different direction? Will Wilson accept the backup job? Most former franchise quarterbacks wouldn’t and wouldn’t do that.
This will be one of the other storylines of the NFL offseason. And without a spot at the top of the depth chart, Wilson will have to make some decisions about where and how he fits into the game he still loves.
