Russell Wilson has no ill will toward his time in Pittsburgh and enjoyed playing for the Steelers. He said Pittsburgh was a great place to grow, though he is now happy to play for the New York Giants.

“Pittsburgh was a good place for me,” Wilson said. “It really helped rejuvenate me in every way because of the locker room there, the pros, guys like T.J. Watt and Cam Heyward, guys like Miles Killebrew, those captains. And then just the guys I was around, the hard work those guys put in. I remember seeing a guy like Calvin Austin III, young star, who just wanted to be great, came to San Diego, wanted to work with me. Just guys that I really appreciate. Guys like Najee Harris and how he went about practicing hard every day. Different guys you get to know, teammates like Dan Moore, who I got to be really close with, and many others.”

Wilson expects to be the starter for the Giants and could earn up to $21 million in the Big Apple. That netted the Steelers a fifth-round compensatory pick but could earn them a third-round pick if he hits all of his incentives during the 2025 season.

Wilson’s play tailed off sharply toward the end of the season. On top of that, a report dropped in January that offensive coordinator Arthur Smith took away Wilson’s ability to work at the line of scrimmage. That could have irked people in the organization.

It would have taken a mending of relationships for Wilson to return to the Steelers. Even if Aaron Rodgers chooses to go elsewhere, Pittsburgh seems somewhat content with what they have at the position.

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