The Pittsburgh Steelers are “still undecided” about whether they’ll retain Russell Wilson or Justin Fields as their quarterback for 2025, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport.
The NFL insiders added that “It’s possible another veteran QB becomes available that would entice the Steelers from moving on from both players.”
Rapoport reported on Dec. 8 that Wilson “appears to be the leading candidate.”
At the time, Pittsburgh had gone 5-1 with the 36-year-old as the starter, and he had thrown for 1,626 yards and 10 touchdowns to three interceptions. Re-signing him seemed like a logical move.
A four-game losing streak to end the regular season and a 28-14 loss to the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Wild Card Round put a damper on everything and raised questions over Wilson’s value moving forward.
Then came a report on Feb. 4 by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette‘s Gerry Dulac about “philosophical friction” between Wilson and offensive coordinator Arthur Smith. The Steelers beat writer cited sources who asserted Wilson’s decline toward the end of the year coincided with Smith insisting more that he not change plays at the line of scrimmage.
“Wilson’s desire to attack with the pass and throw down the field clashed with Smith’s run-first mentality, causing philosophical friction between the two,” Dulac wrote.
We're learning a lot about the Pittsburgh Steelers..@MarkKaboly is reporting that Artie Smith and Russell Wilson didn't have a very good working relationship #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/xcXaL4Tuoy
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) January 15, 2025
One criticism of Smith when he coached the Atlanta Falcons was that his offenses lacked a ton of imagination, and he had shown a clear preference to the running game. True to form, the Steelers had the fourth-most carries (533) in the NFL.
Still, it’s worth pointing out that Wilson is now a perfect 3-for-3 in terms of feeling like his teams aren’t letting him open up the passing game.
That was one of many issues that preceded Wilson’s trade from the Seattle Seahawks to the Denver Broncos in 2022. His fit with Sean Payton in the Mile High City was even worse. Now, the same narrative is coming to the fore in Pittsburgh.
Based on Pelissero and Rapoport’s report, we can’t rule out a reunion between Wilson and the Steelers. That will require he and Smith to get on the same page, though.
