Even if the Pittsburgh Steelers’ season continues its slide, former NFL quarterback Chase Daniel thinks Russell Wilson has shown enough to return to the team in 2025. And get paid good money in the process. Debating Wilson and the Steelers’ future during a segment on FS1’s The Facility Wednesday, Daniel made the case Wilson will and should receive a multi-year extension from Pittsburgh no matter what happens in the playoffs.
“I don’t think it matters at all,” Daniel told a panel when asked if postseason play will dictate Wilson’s value. “Like, pay the man. He’s gonna be there regardless of what he does in the playoffs. I don’t care if he loses.”
Russell Wilson has been the team’s best quarterback since Ben Roethlisberger’s retirement. In the years since, the Steelers have struggled throwing for touchdowns at even an average rate. Wilson’s 15 scores across 10 starts this year are already more than the entire team threw in 2023 (13) and 2022 (14). Wilson has flashed moments of great play, none better than in a shootout victory over the Cincinnati Bengals in which he threw for 414 yards and three touchdowns. That’s more than Pittsburgh’s quarterbacks had been producing in multiple weeks post-Roethlisberger.
Though a playoff loss would leave the Steelers in a similar place as they’ve been the past eight years, Daniel thinks Wilson’s tape and resume will earn him a new deal.
“I think that they’re gonna pay the man regardless of what happens in the playoffs,” he said. “The dude’s a Super Bowl champion, the dude’s gonna be in the Hall of Fame. I think he has two more years. I would imagine a three-year deal, two guaranteed.”
Daniel is probably correct. Even if Pittsburgh season ends in total collapse, Russell Wilson will be the favorite to open 2025 as the team’s starter. Given the lack of other options, a weak free agency and draft class, and Mike Tomlin’s affinity for Wilson (and vice versa), it’s logical to see Wilson come back on a multi-year deal.
Perhaps his cost will shift based on how well the season ends for him and the team, a playoff run certainly won’t hurt his value, but the Steelers are looking for stability at quarterback. It’s hard to think they’ll turn the page and start over with someone new next year.
