On the Pittsburgh Steelers’ books, Russell Wilson is the cheapest starting quarterback in the NFL. But if he has the season the Steelers hope he does, the team won’t have him at a severe discount for 2025. Signed to a one-year deal for the minimum with the Denver Broncos on the hook for nearly all of Wilson’s $39 million salary, Wilson could cash in big-time with a bounce-back 2024 performance.
Joining 93.7 The Fan Thursday evening, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Ray Fittipaldo speculated what an extension could look like for Russell Wilson next offseason. It’s not a small number.
“I’m just gonna throw a number out here,” he told The Fan. “35, 37 million over two years. So what, 75 to 80 million, I think, over two years. Take him up to [age] 37, 38.”
While it’s a large number, it’s not as daunting relative to the current state of the quarterback market. In fact, it’s downright reasonable. The top of the market sits at $55 million average yearly value, with Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow and Jacksonville’s Trevor Lawrence tied for the top spot. Even a $37 million value would rank Wilson as just the 17th highest-paid quarterback in the league, ahead of Tampa Bay’s Baker Mayfield. Given the rising cap and the premium value of the position, quarterbacks don’t come cheap.
“Russ can have a good year, but I don’t know that he can expect those huge contracts that are being paid out to those younger guys,’ Fittipaldo added.
If Russell Wilson has a good season and leads the Steelers to a playoff run, he’ll be well within his rights to ask for that kind of money. If anything, that assessment might be on the low end. Wilson could set a floor of $40 million, knowing this could be one of the final contracts he sees in his career. In that scenario, it’d be difficult for Pittsburgh to find traction at quarterback and let Wilson move on, forcing them to start anew at the position. They would be looking at signing another veteran, drafting a rookie, or figuring out what to do with Justin Fields, presumably the full-time backup if Wilson puts on a good show. Figuring out an extension with Fields would be even trickier.
Consider it a good problem to have next March. But it will be a situation to reckon with. What is a 36-year-old Russell Wilson worth next year? What’s the money, the years, and the structure? Whatever it is, it’ll tower over the pennies Pittsburgh is paying him this year.
