Since taking over as the Pittsburgh Steelers’ starting quarterback in Week 7 against the New York Jets, Russell Wilson has lifted the Black and Gold offense to new heights.
With Wilson at the helm, the Steelers have become a top-10 scoring offense in the NFL, and they’re creating explosive plays consistently in the passing game. Wilson has thrived not only working the ball downfield but also spreading the ball around and getting everyone involved in the offense.
His leadership is on display time and time again, too.
So far, the one-year bet the Steelers made on Wilson in free agency, one that looks like one of the best moves in the NFL, has paid off in a major way. Wilson is 6-1 as a starter and seems to have found a home for the end of his career.
But for ESPN’s Brooke Pryor, who appeared on ESPN Radio’s “Unsportsmanlike” Friday morning with Evan Cohen, Michelle Smallmon, and former NFL defensive end Chris Canty, it is “not a foregone conclusion” that Wilson will be the Steelers’ QB in 2025.
“As Mike Tomlin would say, we’re still writing that story, and that’s because the regular season isn’t over. They don’t know how this is gonna end in the playoffs. And luckily for the Steelers, the longtime precedent that they’ve set, they do not negotiate contracts in season. So that’s off the table right now,” Pryor said of Wilson’s future in Pittsburgh, according to audio via ESPN Radio. “I’m sure they are thinking about it. I’m sure his agent is putting together some numbers. The Steelers front office is looking at their options, but at this point, I think they’re still trying to figure out exactly what a contract would look like.”
At face value, it’s clearly not a foregone conclusion because Wilson is a pending free agent and could hit the open market after the 2024 season. Pryor isn’t breaking any new ground there. But the fact that she believes it’s not a foregone conclusion that the Steelers and Wilson could — and should — remain a pair moving forward seems rather ridiculous.
Coming off two tough seasons in Denver in which he was hurt in 2022 and then never meshed well with Sean Payton in 2023, Wilson was staring the end of his career right in the face. Then, he landed in Pittsburgh and has been revitalized under head coach Mike Tomlin.
Wilson has worked very well with OC Arthur Smith, too, and has really fit into the Steelers’ culture, becoming a key leader on the offensive side of the football. The Steelers aren’t just going to throw that away over questions about length of a contract or financial implications.
“Russell Wilson said he wants to play for five to seven more years. The Steelers are not gonna pay him for five to seven more years,” Pryor added. “I think three years is very reasonable. I think like maybe in the neighborhood of 70 million, 100 million could be a number, but I would expect that to be something that they have and opt out after two years.”
Wilson did state to ESPN’s Hannah Storm during an interview in November that he wants to play another five to seven years, which would take him to around the age of 42 years old. That’s a lofty goal for Wilson, and it certainly is possible with the way he takes care of his body and prepares.
But just because Wilson said that in an interview doesn’t mean he’s going to be looking for a contract for five to seven years on the open market. Again, he’s just now rediscovering his game as a high-end starting quarterback after a few years in the dark.
He’s found his way in Pittsburgh where stability and a strong coaching staff are getting the best out of him. For a guy who wants to continue to chase championships, it seems very unlikely that he’s just going to toss away what he has in Pittsburgh over money or length of contract at this point in his career.
Wilson is thriving in this situation, and it should be one he wants to remain in as long as he can moving forward.
“But I do think that Russell Wilson fits what the Steelers want to do. And I think that he has found a home in Pittsburgh where the coach believes in him. He has the organizational structure around him, and he’s really been Russell Wilson the football player, you have not seen Russell Wilson the brand in Pittsburgh,” Pryor said. “And I think that that fits the Steelers’ blue-collar mentality. It fits the fan base. It fits all of these things that I think were really big question marks going in.
“Could a guy who is known for having the personal quarterbacks coach, the kind of being Mr. Unlimited being this force, can he fit in with just the gritty, blue-collar everyday people in the locker room and in the city of Pittsburgh? And so far the answer is yes.”
Wilson does fit what the Steelers want to do. He does have the proper structure around him with a strong run game and a defense that is one of the best in the league that takes the football away and plays good complementary football. It’s very similar to what he had in Seattle in his best years in the league, so it’s not a surprise he’s playing well.
Pryor might find it to not be a foregone conclusion that Wilson is the Steelers’ QB in 2025, but things would be rather stunning if the Wilson pairing with the Steelers didn’t continue for a few years at this rate.
