As of this moment, it sounds like the Pittsburgh Steelers are considering bringing Russell Wilson back to be their starting quarterback. After dealing with an injury to start the 2024 season, Wilson started off hot with the Steelers. However, he quickly cooled off, looking less like a viable starting option. Despite that, he’s still reportedly in play to be the Steelers’ starter in 2025. Analyst Chris Simms doesn’t believe Wilson is the answer at quarterback for any team going forward, though.
“I have a hard time thinking anybody is gonna look at Russell Wilson and think he is the answer,” Simms said Thursday on Pro Football Talk. “I don’t see that. Maybe he gets to go somewhere and, like Sam Darnold last year, where they go, ‘We’ll have you, but we are gonna draft a quarterback,’ do something like that.
“But for me to think some organization is gonna roll out the red carpet and say, ‘Russell Wilson, we’re riding with him this year, right now, to be our starting quarterback,’ I don’t know. I don’t envision that happening.”
Based on the last few games of the season, Simms isn’t wrong. On the whole, Wilson’s season doesn’t look that bad. In 11 regular-season games, he threw for 2,482 yards, 16 touchdowns, and only five interceptions. He even made the Pro Bowl as alternate, for whatever that’s worth anymore. However, those stats do not tell the full story with Wilson.
Over his first six starts, Wilson was awesome. He elevated the Steelers’ offense, helping to unlock George Pickens’ potential as well. However, when the Steelers hit some turbulence and played some better teams, Wilson’s level of play dropped. Untimely turnovers and poor game awareness from him helped sink the team’s offense.
It wasn’t all bad with Wilson, though. He did make some good plays, and he certainly wasn’t the only reason the Steelers ended the season on a five-game losing streak. However, it would probably be correct to say he isn’t the Steelers’ long-term answer at quarterback.
That doesn’t mean he won’t return to Pittsburgh. If Wilson is willing to take a team-friendly deal, he could stay with the Steelers. The days of massive, multi-year contracts might be over for him, though.
It’s unclear what the direction the Steelers will go at quarterback. Wilson is 36 years old, so his best years are behind him. If the Steelers are going to bring back a quarterback from last year, Justin Fields feels like a better option since he has more upside. Giving Wilson a huge deal feels like a mistake. Maybe another team disagrees with Simms, but the Steelers shouldn’t be willing to make that gamble.
