Russell

Wilson

The dust has barely settled on Saturday night’s road loss to the Ravens, and people have already started to take notice of the Steelers’ quarterback conundrum in 2025 and beyond. Russell Wilson will be 36 at the start of next season and looked like anything but the answer for the Steelers. At best, he would be a short-term solution to the team’s quarterback woes. Now they’ll soon find themselves at a crossroad on whether or not to re-sign him this offseason. The same can be said of Justin Fields, whom at 25, played the best football of his career this season only to be benched after a 4-2 start in favor of Wilson. It’s safe to assume that may not help the team during negotiations, as Fields is also set to become a free agent this offseason. The Steelers will enter 2025 with the same problems they had entering 2024 — with no franchise quarterback on a team that may be a high-end starter away from competing deep into the playoffs. They have other holes to fill, but the one at quarterback will remain glaring until it is fixed. How Tomlin and the front office decide to approach it this offseason could ultimately determine his long-term future with the team this time next year.

A summer hamstring issue postponed Wilson’s Pittsburgh debut for over a month. He eventually took over for Justin Fields despite the latter going 4-2 as a starter. Wilson opened his Pittsburgh tenure with a 6-1 record while passing both the analytics and the eye tests. His turnaround in Steel City combined with plenty of help from the Pittsburgh defense had the team at 10-3 with a strong shot at winning the AFC North late in the season. A four-game losing streak then sent the Steelers to the postseason as a lowly Wild Card team. The Ravens easily dispatched a lesser Steelers squad, shutting them out in the first half along the way. Wilson was a shoo-in to be the team’s starter in 2025 heading into December, but a calamitous downfall late in the year has him in a precarious position heading into the offseason. Pittsburgh reached its ceiling with Wilson, an impending free agent, after just a few months. That ceiling wasn’t nearly enough to dethrone Baltimore in the playoffs. Wilson could get Pittsburgh to another postseason berth next season, but it’s hard to picture another gear for this team with 36-year-old Russ on the sticks. Both Wilson and the Steelers are at a crossroads heading into the offseason.

Wilson and the Steelers’ offense was better in the second half, but that’s faint praise The completion percentage isn’t pretty, but much of it isn’t Wilson’s fault, as the veteran quarterback was the victim of several drops; three alone by George Pickens. The final straw was a perfect throw on 4th and 12 to Pat Freiermuth that went right through Freiermuth’s mittens. That’s not to say that Wilson was great, but the statline doesn’t really tell the story. Wilson and the Steelers will be under center in the Wild Card round on the road, and they’ll take on either the Texans or Ravens; depending on what happens in the Chargers-Raiders game.

The Steelers play on Saturday after the Ravens play host to the Browns. A Ravens victory would mean the Steelers have nothing to play for in their season finale, which could open the door to the team sitting several starters in preparation for the playoffs. Speaking Monday, Tomlin said he hasn’t thought much about sitting his starters and added that he doesn’t anticipate doing so at this time. It’s possible things will change after the conclusion of the Ravens and Browns game, but for now, the Steelers appear to be going about business as usual.

Wilson followed a beautiful 41-yard connection to George Pickens with an atrocious interception in the end zone. He was able to scramble in for for a rushing score, and he was able to show off a smidgen of the rushing ability that made him a fantasy star while with the Seahawks. Unfortunately, there just wasn’t enough plays made in the passing game for this to be considered a quality effort. Wilson will try and get back on track in Week 18 against the Bengals.

Wilson’s lone interception was returned for a touchdown in the fourth quarter of a one-score game and he also lost a fumble on a scramble in the red zone which took points off the board, so it wasn’t the cleanest game from the veteran signal caller. The loss drops the Steelers into a tie atop the division with the Ravens, although Pittsburgh holds the tie-breaker as things currently stand. Wilson and the Steelers now look forward to a Week 17 showdown with the 14-1 Chiefs, a game the team will need to win if they want to remain atop the division and lock up a home playoff game in three short weeks.

Overheard on HBO’s Hard Knocks, Wilson said at an event, “Hopefully, I love it here,” when asked if he wants to return to the Steelers next season. Wilson signed a one-year, $1.2 million contract with the Steelers this offseason and is receiving the rest of his guaranteed $39 million for the season from the Broncos, who remain on the hook for the contract he signed with them in 2022. Wilson has played well for the Steelers this season, throwing for 1,912-13-3 in eight games while leading them to a 6-2 record. The Steelers won’t be picking at the top of next year’s draft without trading into a top pick, leaving them little options but to bring back Wilson or another vet. Another one-year deal could very well be on the table for Russ, who will be 36 at the start of next season.

Playing in his second-straight game without George Pickens, Wilson and the Steelers saw their vertical passing game put on lockdown by the Eagles. Of the 14 passes he completed, only five had an ADOT of 10.0 or longer. His lone touchdown pass on the day came on a nine-yard pass in the end zone to Pat Freiermuth. Wilson was also credited with a “fumble” on a pitch that hit Najee Harris right in the chest, but Wilson otherwise played turnover free football in the defeat. Wilson has thrown for just 286 yards in his two games without Pickens. He’ll hope to have his WR1 back in next week’s pivotal AFC North matchup against the Ravens, where he’ll be a mid QB2.

Sunday’s performance was everything we’ve come to expect from Wilson this season. He did what he needed to keep the offense on schedule, while the Steelers’ ground game set the tone for much of the afternoon. His first touchdown pass of the day came on a 10-yard strike Van Jefferson in the second quarter, but big plays were at a premium with George Pickens (hamstring) sidelined in this one. Wilson still managed to complete four passes of 20-plus yards, one of which came on a 20-yard touchdown pass to Pat Freiermuth late in the third quarter, but little was asked of the veteran quarterback with the game well in-hand for most of the afternoon. Wilson and the Steelers will have their work cut out for them in Week 15 when they face the Eagles. Wilson shouldn’t be viewed as anything more than a mid to low-end QBs in the in-state rivalry.

Rapoport even said the Steelers’ starter for 2025 “is almost certainly” on the current roster. That’s about as definitive as it gets this early in the process. Wilson signed a one-year deal with the Steelers in the offseason and is 5-1 as the starter after missing the first six games with a hamstring issue. Pittsburgh is currently atop the AFC North with a playoff spot all but secured already. Wilson didn’t have much of a market after being cut by the Broncos and took the veteran minimum salary to rehab his image in Pittsburgh. It’s worked better than anyone expected and he is well on his way to earning a sizable contract with the Steelers in the offseason.