The Steelers intend to re-sign Russell Wilson

Russell Wilson turns 36 next week, and while the decorated quarterback hasn’t been in the league’s top ranks at the position for a while, he’s found traction in Pittsburgh. The 13-year veteran has established himself as the Steelers’ starter, and the team isn’t straying from a goal it expressed upon acquiring him.

The Steelers had made a remarkable effort to assure Wilson he was the priority this offseason, with rumors of a second contract — despite the two-year Broncos starter having just signed his first with the team — emerging immediately after Justin Fields trading started. Fields and Wilson remain free agents, and with the Steelers not changing their in-season no-negotiation policy to account for this unique situation, the team has some decisions to make early in the 2025 offseason.

Although Fields caught up to Wilson during training camp — to force a late-Aug Mike Tomlin call — and started the first six games because of the veteran’s nagging calf injury, Wilson has stayed healthy since the September setback. The former Super Bowl winner has done nothing to get the Steelers to change plans The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Gerry Dulac indicates the club intends to re-sign its current starter.

Since the Steelers haven’t changed their in-season negotiation policy — in place for more than 30 years — they have a narrow window to complete another Wilson contract. How far Pittsburgh goes in the playoffs will shape that window, as 2025 UFAs will be free to talk to other teams starting March 10. The franchise brand opens on February 18, but like Baker Mayfield this past offseason, Wilson doesn’t seem like a true candidate to plug a team’s cap with a QB cap number (2024’s was $38.3MM) just so the Steelers can continue negotiating without outside interference. The deadline of March 10 applies here.

The Bucs re-signed Mayfield a day before this year’s legal tampering period, agreeing to a three-year deal worth $100MM. That Mayfield is six years younger than Wilson complicates the latter’s path, though mid-level QB1 deals like Mayfield’s and those given to Derek Carr, Geno Smith and Daniel Jones could certainly be relevant. Smith’s three-year, $75MM Seahawks deal quickly became team-friendly, as he is the only quarterback with an AAV between $12.5MM and $33.3MM.

Wilson’s age makes that area the Steelers will likely try to explore, even though the potential Hall of Famer has a past as a skilled negotiator. While Wilson’s toughest negotiations took place in Seattle, his Denver deal (five years, $245MM) introduces a historically high hurdle for the Broncos to clear due to the record dead money that stretches to 2026. Wilson is veteran-bound -minimum contract, as he had guaranteed money on his way from Denver with Pittsburgh.

With only four starts with his new team before Thursday night’s game, Wilson has directed the Steelers to a 4-0 record. Starting better than he did with the Broncos, Wilson has averaged 7.8 yards per carry. attempts (60.3% completion rate) and threw six touchdown passes to two interceptions. This is still a small sample size, but Pro-Football-Reference would rank Wilson 33rd in QBR (43.0) if he had enough snaps to qualify. This is south of his 2023 Denver mark (50.7). The Steelers not negotiating during the season will allow for more data to emerge as this likely won’t be a simple negotiation, assuming Wilson proves enough to be considered a 2025 starter.

The Steelers haven’t enjoyed quality QB play since before Ben Roethlisberger‘s 2019 elbow injury, with Kenny Pickett plan setbacks quickly. How Wilson fares down the stretch will be a key NFL subplot as Fields sliding to the backup level moves the 2021 receiver closer to free agency. Wilson and the Steelers’ price points will be fascinating as the sides’ quest to find middle ground on a mid-term deal will be one of the main storylines of the 2025 offseason.