Russell Wilson’s delayed stint as Pittsburgh’s starting quarterback started well, with a 6-1 record.
It did not end well. And, at the end of the day, the Steelers didn’t want to bring him back.
Look at the final five starts. All losses. The average margin of defeat in those five games was 13.2 points. (Remove the two-point loss in Week 18 to the Bengals, and the average margin was 16 points.)
By the time the season was over, there was a sense from some the building that Wilson is “physically done.” And the team’s ensuing actions backed up those words, completely.
Remember when the official word was that the team’s preference was to re-sign Wilson OR Justin Fields? Once Fields agreed to sign with the Jets, Wilson’s name NEVER came up.
Given that Wilson is getting only $10.5 million guaranteed from the Giants on a deal worth up to $21 million (it’s surely no coincidence that Wilson’s maximum package beats Fields’s average salary by $1 million), the Steelers could have gotten him for something close to that. Which is peanuts as far as starting veteran quarterbacks go.
But the Steelers never really tried to re-sign Wilson. By all appearances, they never really wanted him back.
Which makes the Giants’ interest even more surprising. Given the close ties between the two franchises (Rooney family member Kathleen Mara owns 10 Super Bowl rings; six from the Steelers and four from the Giants), was there not a candid conversation about the Steelers’ experience with Wilson in 2025? If there was — and if the Steelers shared information consistent with their ultimate lack of interest in bringing him back — what made things different for the Giants?
We’ll see how it goes for the Giants and Wilson. We’ll see how he’s received by the fans, by the locker room. We’ll see whether a sense emerges from the other players that Jameis Winston would be a better option. And, if so, whether the Giants go with Winston instead.
Regardless, the fact that Wilson once won a Super Bowl at MetLife Stadium means jack diddly squat as to whether, some 12 years later, he’ll perform well enough to win enough games at MetLife Stadium and elsewhere to get the Giants to the postseason.
However it plays out, chances are that Kathleen Mara won’t be adding an 11th Super Bowl ring to her collection in 2025. At least not from the Mara side of the family.
