The Steelers’ party line of wanting to extend the Russell Wilson partnership beyond this season began shortly after the QB’s signing. It continued deep into the season, as the team zoomed to 10-3. But Wilson struggled down the stretch, as Pittsburgh’s schedule stiffened, and lost his final five games as the team’s starter.
Wilson wants to stay with the Steelers, but his value took a hit down the stretch. Signs of frustration with Wilson emerged within the Steelers, SI.com’s Albert Breer notes. This would stand to affect the team’s desire to bring the 13-year veteran back at a higher rate. Wilson’s grip on the Steelers’ starting job never appeared to loosen once he recovered from his calf injury, but the Mike Tomlin-led decision to bench Justin Fields was not unanimous.
A historically sack-prone quarterback, Wilson stayed on this course. The Chiefs, Bengals and Ravens combined to sack him 13 times over the past three weeks. The Steelers never found a reliable No. 2 wide receiver, though Mike Williams did resemble one sporadically, and they dealt with two significant offensive line injuries — to Troy Fautanu and James Daniels. While veteran Steelers insider Mark Kaboly notes Fautanu will be ready for OTAs — after the first-round tackle suffered a dislocated kneecap, Wilson may not be a lock to join him.
Wilson’s momentum screeched to a halt late in the season, and he is now 36. The quarterback did see drop issues plague the offense against Cincinnati, and he fired a laser to George Pickens — the primary culprit vs. the Bengals — for a touchdown against the Ravens. But the nine-time Pro Bowler trended downward during the season’s defining stretch. Pegging Wilson’s value, even on a weak QB market, will be tougher as a result.
A December estimation on this market moved to the Baker Mayfield place — three years, $100MM — but after the Steelers’ nosedive, it would be surprising if Wilson received that kind of offer from the Steelers. The Steelers do not negotiate in-season, so no talks have taken place. It would stand to reason the sides will huddle up, but the franchise has now gone eight seasons without a playoff win. Wilson was only involved in one of those years, but it also makes sense for the Steelers to explore a better option. Though, the team continuing to win and camp as an upper-middle-class operation makes finding one difficult.
Fields joins Wilson as a free agent and only saw action on a handful of plays, as a gadget option, after Wilson recovered from his nagging injury. That said, the Steelers entered the season open to exploring a long-term deal with their younger QB, and Breer adds the team “would love” to keep working with the 25-year-old passer. Though, the veteran reporter cautions the team might be interested in keeping Fields as a backup. That would stand to be a sticking point for the 2021 first-round pick, who could conceivably draw QB1 interest elsewhere — as a stopgap, if nothing else — during an offseason featuring a thin free agent market and a maligned rookie prospect pool.
Wilson is set to join Kirk Cousins — who will almost definitely be released, despite Falcons hopes at trading him — as aging starters on the market. No QB played this season for between $12.5MM per year and $25MM per annum, and only two players (Gardner Minshew and Geno Smith) populated that salary range. Mayfield’s $33MM-AAV pact is next on that list. Both Steelers QBs may be threats to expand that unpopulated QB middle class between Minshew and Smith.
Fields completed 65.8% of his passes to Wilson’s 63.7, though the latter threw 336 passes to Fields’ 161. Fields’ 7.4 yards per attempt also bettered Wilson’s number (6.9). Wilson did finish the regular season with a 16-5 TD-INT ratio, while Fields’ issues through the air again revealed themselves ahead of his October benching. The three-year Bears starter should still generate conversations about a starting gig somewhere; that will increase his value potentially beyond the Steelers’ comfort zone — if the AFC North club is set on him as a backup-only option, at least.
Plenty needs to be sorted out for the Steelers, who have smashed their heads against a low ceiling for a while now. The team is expected to retain Tomlin for a 19th season; he and Omar Khan will have a significant decision to make soon.
