Former Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson’s one-year contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers will be expiring this spring, but it appears both sides are working to keep Wilson in the Steel City for a little bit longer. During a recent appearance on The Pat McAfee Show, Wilson confirmed himself that his camp has begun to talk with the Steelers in regards to an extension.
When asked if he and Pittsburgh have discussed a new contract, Wilson gave an affirmative answer.
“Yes, we have been starting to talk a little bit,” Wilson stated matter-of-factly. “We’ve had our meetings and everything else, just getting into it. So I think that it’s an exciting time to be a Pittsburgh Steeler and the opportunity of what we can do.”
Wilson enjoyed moderate success during his first year with the Steelers, despite missing the first six games due to a calf injury. When he took the reigns as the starter, Pittsburgh won six of their next seven games to reach double-digit wins for a consecutive season. Unfortunately, it was literally all downhill from there, as the Steelers lost their next five-straight games – including a Wild Card game against the Ravens – to end the year.
Although Wilson played efficiently in the postseason defeat (completing 20-of-29 passes for 270 yards and two touchdowns) the Steelers were nowhere near as competitive as even a 14-point loss might suggest.
Overall, Wilson threw for 2,752 yards with 18 touchdowns against only 5 interceptions in all 12 games (playoffs included) started for Pittsburgh this year. He ultimately finished with a 6-6 record and a playoff appearance.
The Steelers are at a bit of a crossroads right now as a franchise. Pittsburgh has not won a playoff game since January 2017 (Barack Obama was still the president at the time) and fans have been yearning online for a change of pace. But with the team announcing Mike Tomlin will return in 2025 and perhaps an extension with Russell Wilson, it appears the Steelers may want one more crack at it with the squad as presently constructed – including offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, someone Wilson has endorsed.
It would not be fair to place the lion’s share of the blame for Pittsburgh’s late-season meltdown on Wilson. He played his (slightly amended for age) usual brand of efficient, mistake-free football and was solid. However, it is fair to wonder if he is truly capable, in this stage of his career, of elevating the Steelers out of their purgatory of mediocrity they’ve been in for quite some time now.
