When QB Russell Wilson first signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers, he said he still wanted to play for almost another decade. As a quarterback, that’s not impossible. He turns 36 this month, and playing five to seven more years would mean retiring by the age of 43. Tom Brady retired when he was 45 after 23 NFL seasons.
But Wilson was saying that before suffering the calf injury to open training camp. And then he suffered another issue with his calf on the eve of the regular season that kept him out of the first six games. Does he still feel the same way?
“I definitely wanna play another five to seven more years,” Wilson told Hannah Storm for NFL on ESPN. “I think that’s always been my goal. I’ve been very clear about that since the beginning. I think that’s always been my mindset, is the longevity of the game. And I’ve been fortunate to be able to play. I don’t know, I’m probably 200-plus games. I feel great, I feel young. I feel still like I can move around out there and make all the decisions and all the throws and throw the ball where I need to throw it.”
Just for the record, Wilson has played 191 career regular-season games and 16 postseason games. So he won’t be able to reach 200 regular-season games in 2024. But he’ll get there in 2025 barring something unforeseen.
And Wilson should definitely be playing somewhere next season. He’s 3-0 as the Steelers’ starter. He threw three touchdowns against the Washington Commanders last Sunday to bring his season total to six. He’s also run for a touchdown while playing the best football he has in years. Even noted hater Nick Wright is willing to admit that.
But Wilson seeks more than just longevity. He wants 2024 to be a success, and that means he wants to hoist the Lombardi Trophy with the Steelers this season.
“So I think a big part of it too is just my focus in here right now is winning this week,” Wilson said. “And then hopefully winning the next one, and then one after that and one after that. Then get to the end of the season, hopefully we’re holding something that’s we’ll forever remember. And so I had a goal of winning a couple more. That’s why I came here.”
That’s the key to goal setting, right? You need to have short- and long-term goals. Russell Wilson’s short-term goal is winning the Super Bowl this year with the Steelers. And then he wants to keep playing for more years and winning another title. Hopefully, for the Steelers’ sake, he’s able to accomplish both sets of goals.
