Pittsburgh Steelers News & Rumors

JANUARY 13: Wilson repeated his desire to land a new Steelers contract on Monday, although he noted (via Pryor) no talks have taken place with the team yet. Needless to say, how interested Pittsburgh is in entertaining another year (or more) of Wilson in the fold will make for one of the team’s most significant offseason storylines.

JANUARY 12: Back in March, mere days after the Steelers signed quarterback Russell Wilson to a one-year contract covering the 2024 campaign, there were already reports indicating that player and team were planning to discuss a multiyear accord in the 2025 offseason. After Wilson took over the QB1 role from Justin Fields in Week 7, the on-field results engendered more such reports, with multiple outlets reiterating that Pittsburgh intended to re-sign Wilson and keep him as the starter.

Wilson, 36, was likewise interested in extending the relationship, and Baker Mayfield’s three-year, $100MM contract with the Buccaneers was seen as a logical comparable for Wilson’s camp to shoot for in negotiations. However, the Steelers’ season ended in a tailspin, as the club lost the final four games of the regular season to cede control of the AFC North to the Ravens, and then they lost their wildcard-round matchup with Baltimore last night to bring their year to a close.

After posting quarterback ratings of at least 101.1 in five of his first seven games under center for the Steelers – a stretch in which the team went 6-1 – Wilson failed to record a rating above 94.5 during the next four games. And while his surface-level statistics in the playoff loss look strong – he connected on 20 of 29 pass attempts for 270 yards and two TDs – Pittsburgh mustered less than 60 yards of offense in the first half and were trailing 21-0 at halftime.

To be fair, the Steelers’ schedule over what became a five-game losing streak to end the season – Philadelphia, Baltimore, Kansas City, Cincinnati, and Baltimore – was a challenging one. It is nonetheless reasonable to wonder if the team’s thoughts about Wilson’s future in Pittsburgh have changed over the last month.

For his part, Wilson remains steadfast in his desire to hammer out a new contract with the Steelers. In his postgame presser following the wildcard-round defeat, the veteran signal-caller confirmed that he intends to continue his playing career – “I’ve got so much more ball left in me,” he said – and made it plain that he hopes to stay put (X links via ESPN’s Brooke Pryror).

“It’s been one of the best years for me personally to be a Pittsburgh Steeler,” he said. “And obviously I hope I’m here and everything else.”

Wilson added, “it’s a special, special place. And I know God brought me here for a reason” (via Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk).

As Florio observes, head coach Mike Tomlin declined to address the future of his team’s quarterback position after the game, merely indicating that Wilson’s performance “wasn’t good enough” while lauding the QB’s efforts in rallying the offense after the dismal first half.

Fields, who led the team to a 4-2 mark before being demoted in favor of Wilson, is also an impending free agent, but he is nearly 11 years younger than his senior colleague, and he has earned plenty of fans in the building. Indeed, Tomlin previously indicated that the decision to insert Wilson into the starting lineup over Fields was entirely his own, and that he went against the grain in making the call.

For a time, it appeared to be the right move. Now, though, the organization will have a number of difficult decisions to make regarding the most important position in sports.