The Steelers are 10-6 and, in general, it feels like this is a team that has taken a significant step forward this year, replacing its quarterback mess from 2023 (Kenny Pickett, Mason Rudolph, Mitch Trubisky) with the very good 1-2 punch of Russell Wilson and Justin Fields.
And yet the Steelers are just a loss against the Bengals in the season finale from finishing at 10-7--exactly the same record as in 2023.
Pittsburgh has lost three straight and the bloom has come off the Wilson rose somewhat in the process, as the team has scored just 40 total in points in the past three weeks. In that span, Wilson has just three touchdowns and two interceptions, and a quarterback rating of 82.2.
In Wilson's first seven starts, during which the Steelers went 6-1, he threw 12 touchdowns and three interceptions,w ith a rating of 103.9. Wilson is 36 years old, and given his struggles, Pittsburgh might well consider moving on from him.
Not so fast, though, says ESPN insider Adam Schefter. The Steelers might want to move off of Wilson, but the bad news is, they can't. There just aren't enough good options. Said Schefter, speaking on "Get Up" on Thursday:
"They'd like to go ahead and keep Russell Wilson, and sign him to keep him in Pittsburgh. But even if they couldn't what do you want them to do with the quarterback position? Who is going to be out there that's an upgrade over Russell Wilson right now?
"There are two logical first-round quarterbacks in the draft, and they're not going to get either one of those. The top two free agents are going to be Sam Darnold and Russell Wilson, is there another quarterback on the trade market that's going to spring free? Probably not. So this is where the Steelers are. They've got to find a way to build out the roster and get the turnover battle, which they haven't been able to get, to compete with the top teams. If they're not getting turnovers, they're not going to win."
Unless the Steelers sign him to an extension, Wilson will be a free agent in March. He is currently on a league minimum deal worth $1.2 million, which he signed because he was still collecting on the $161 million guaranteed in his old contract from the Broncos.
