The Pittsburgh Steelers and QB Russell Wilson are in a bit of a unique situation. The Steelers are 3-0 with Wilson as their starter and looking better on offense than they have in years. And Wilson is playing better football than he has in years.
But Wilson is only under contract for this season. And he’s going to turn 36 this month. He said he felt like there was a future in Pittsburgh when he signed with the Steelers. And he’s been adamant about his plan to play for multiple seasons beyond this one. But how does he feel after three games as the starter?
“I’ve never really thought past the years most of the time when I’m playing,” Wilson said during a recent sit-down interview with Hannah Storm for NFL on ESPN. “I’m so, anybody knows me, I’m so engulfed in the moment, you know? I think it’s so critical to be that way because it’s too hard to think about what’s ahead or what’s behind. It’s just being right here. You get the hardest position in the world every day. You know, you gotta be in the moment right now.”
Wilson certainly appears to be focused on the moment. He’s thrown for six touchdowns (and ran in another) in his three starts for Pittsburgh. He’s throwing for touchdowns at a higher percentage than all but two of his NFL seasons. And he’s putting up more yards per attempt than he ever has.
As for the Steelers’ side of things, Wilson became the team’s first quarterback to throw for three touchdowns in a game since Ben Roethlisberger in the win over the Washington Commanders. And the offense is scoring just over 30 points a game with Wilson under center.
The Steelers should want to bring Wilson back if he plays this way the rest of the season. And while Wilson is saying he’s not thinking beyond this year, it’s apparent he’s happy in Pittsburgh.
“I just think a big part of it is just seeing the vision, knowing what it looks like, knowing who you get to do it with,” Wilson said. “I get to do it with some of the best guys in the world every day. And that makes it fun.”
One of those guys is DL Cam Heyward. Wilson and Heyward spoke prior to Wilson’s decision to sign with the Steelers, and it was a big part of his decision-making process. There are others, too.
So Russell Wilson may not be thinking about negotiating a contract with the Steelers at the moment. But he’s quite happy in Pittsburgh.
