Pittsburgh

Steelers

If Wilson wants to play football in 2025, then there’s a good chance he will view most teams as a “potential option” for next season. While Wilson returning to the Steelers is a very real possibility, the team has been open about its willingness to consider all options, including Justin Fields, who threw for 1,106-5-1 while going 4-2 in his six starts. Wilson will be 36 at the start of next season and threw for 2,482-16-5 in 11 games. While the numbers were respectable, the veteran quarterback also shouldered plenty of blame for the team’s four-game losing streak to close out the regular season, and their 28-14 defeat in the wild card round loss to the Ravens. He remains a serviceable starter, but Wilson won’t raise the ceiling of too many offenses at this stage in his career.

Matthew Stafford recently met with Tom Brady to discuss his potential fit with the Raiders, but with Stafford choosing to remain with the Rams, the Raiders must now explore other options. Fields (25 years old) and Darnold (27 years old) offer more long-term viability than Wilson (36 years old), though Wilson could hit the ground running in a reunion with Pete Carroll.

According to Schultz, talks over a trade have progressed recently, leaving us to wonder how soon a deal could actually get done. He adds that the Steelers and Broncos “also checked in” on a potential trade for the star receiver, but said the Commanders and Texans “are believed to be the most aggressive.” It goes without saying that both teams could use an upgrade at receiver. The Commanders have no receiver of note on the roster after Terry McLaurin, and with Tank Dell’s (knee) availability already in question for next season and Stefon Diggs unlikely to return, Samuel would make for a strong WR2 opposite Nico Collins. Samuel is a near lock to get traded this offseason after the 49ers said they would grant his wish to be moved earlier this month. Samuel’s 670 receiving yards last season marked his fewest since an injury-shortened 2022, when he appeared in just 13 games. He’s played in 15 games each of the last two seasons and has also been a regular contributor on the ground in Kyle Shanahan’s offense. Samuel has one year left on his current deal and will likely require an extension from whatever team acquires him, which only adds to the cost to acquire former First-Team All-Pro.

While connecting the dots to the Steelers made some sense — he’s the most-accomplished quarterback looking for a new home, they’re the most-accomplished team with a hole at quarterback — it doesn’t seem like Pittsburgh is all that into Stafford. Dulac believes they would not pay Stafford more than the $27 million that Stafford is currently due. If Pittsburgh isn’t into Stafford, it would seem to lead more credence to the idea that they’ll re-sign Justin Fields or Russell Wilson this offseason.

Khan praised Watt and compared him to Hines Ward and Troy Polamalu in the category of lifetime Steelers. With Watt currently on a $30.4 million cap hit for 2025, it would make sense for the Steelers to get him extended ahead of free agency. The star edge player had 11.5 sacks and was a second-team All-Pro this past season, though his impact was diminished down the stretch as he played through an ankle injury.

Wilson was, per Khan, “in position to play if we needed him to in the postseason.” After Pittsburgh used the 84th overall pick on Wilson, he was essentially redshirted, playing just five offensive snaps all season. He remains a dynasty consideration on a wideout depth chart that has little of fantasy note besides George Pickens. But we’re going to need to see more than this small amount of offseason hopium on Wilson to see him as fantasy-relevant in redraft leagues.

Khan didn’t mention what level of tender the team would assign to Warren. A right of first refusal tender is the most likely and will run Pittsburgh $3.2 million. It would also allow Warren to negotiate a potential contract with other teams. If an offer is made, the Steelers then have the opportunity to match it. Warren struggled through injuries in 2024 and saw his numbers fall across the board. He was previously topping the charts in most efficiency metrics and it’s a no-brainer for the Steelers to tender him in the hopes of a return to form next year. With Najee Harris set to hit free agency, Warren could see an uptick in touches in 2025.

Khan noted the strength of the upcoming draft class and also said the team will be tendering restricted free agent Jaylen Warren. Harris didn’t have his fifth-year option picked up and is set to hit free agency in less than a month. The Steelers have always been higher on Harris and his bruising style than outside observers, but it sounds like they will let him field outside offers before bringing him back. The former first-round pick rumbled for his fourth consecutive 1,000-yard season last year, though he barely hit four digits while running at a pedestrian 4.0 yards per carry. Harris is a replacement-level back who could fetch a premium in free agency with the cap skyrocketing this offseason.

Both quarterbacks are free agents this spring and could see interest from quarterback-needy teams who might view Fields or Wilson as locked-in starters headed into 2025. The Athletic’s Dianna Russini said last week that “everything is on the table” for the team’s QB situation, while ESPN’s Adam Schefter has reported that several teams are interested in signing Fields, who threw for 1,106 yards, five touchdowns, and one interception over six starts in 2024, adding 233 yards and five scores on the ground. It would seem like a long shot for the Steelers to give Wilson another unquestioned job after his poor play over the final month of the 2024 season. Wilson ranked 27th out of 29 qualifying quarterbacks in drop back EPA from Week 12-18.