Russell Wilson is just trying to get through the season, but his next contract and whether it’s with the Pittsburgh Steelers is already a hot topic. That’s not unsurprising considering he is 6-1 with them with a 12-3 touchdown-to-interception ratio. Wilson has the Steelers poised to dethrone the Baltimore Ravens while competing for the No. 1 seed in the AFC. But what kind of contract does that entitle the 36-year-old former Super Bowl champion to?
“I think that the tough conversation for them will be what is that number?”, former Bengals OL Andrew Whitworth said while discussing the Steelers’ potential future with Russell Wilson. He believes they have a really good team but one with young players who need contracts.
“What does that number do to us, though?”, he asked of the Steelers’ potential offer to Wilson. “Is that Russell Wilson number similar to something we’ve seen in between Baker Mayfield and what the top guys are getting paid? Or is it up there with the top guys?
“If it’s up there with the top guys, I think you’ve got to move on. I don’t think they can handicap their football team that way, nor do I think the Pittsburgh Steelers are really built like that”. But what are the numbers we are talking about? Whitworth isn’t the first to bring up Mayfield’s deal.
Baker Mayfield signed a three-year, $100 million contract with the Buccaneers, averaging $33.34 million per season. The top contract on the market is Dak Prescott, who signed a $60 million APY deal at age 31. Joe Burrow, Jordan Love, and Trevor Lawrence (lol) are all on deals averaging $55 million. Five others are also making north of $50 million per year—surely Russell Wilson couldn’t expect that from the Steelers?
A sensible middle ground might be Matthew Stafford and his four-year, $160 million deal. The Steelers won’t sign Russell Wilson to a four-year deal, but they might do three years for $120 million. And if Wilson is amenable to that, Whitworth wouldn’t be surprised.
“If it’s something where Russell [Wilson] goes, ‘Look, I love playing [with the Steelers], I love being with [Mike] Tomlin, and I want to be a part of this and figure out how I can get paid but also make sure this football team stays good’, then [you re-sign him] without question”.
Whitworth argues that the Steelers and OC Arthur Smith have seen Wilson grow over the season. He called the dynamic a “great marriage”, and likely one that neither is eager to leave. But it always comes back to money, at least at some level.
Of course, there are still four regular-season games left to play, and up to four postseason games. We have only seen a seven-game sample size of Russell Wilson with the Steelers. While he has served some good cooking, quarterback contracts are not to be taken lightly. And could Justin Fields possibly factor into the equation? At what price point do the Steelers say, “Screw it, we’ll try to polish Fields into a franchise guy instead”?
