In January, Pittsburgh Steelers owner and president Art Rooney II said his “preference” was to re-sign starting quarterback Russell Wilson or backup Justin Fields for 2025. Therefore, some assumed the Steelers would bring Wilson back after Fields agreed to join the New York Jets in free agency.
However, that was before the Steelers reportedly flirted with Sam Darnold and Aaron Rodgers.
During Friday’s “Pro Football Talk Live” program, NFL insider Mike Florio explained why Wilson won’t enter as Pittsburgh’s QB1 as soon as this weekend.
“I don’t think they ever wanted Russell Wilson back,” Florio said about the Steelers, Steelers Depot’s Alex Kozora shared. “When they said, ‘We want to bring back Russell Wilson or Justin Fields,’ I think it meant, ‘We want to bring back Justin Fields and we want to use the possibility of Wilson to squeeze Fields to take less.'”
Such a tactic was unsuccessful, as it’s now clear Pittsburgh would never match the two-year, $40M deal Fields received from the Jets. Meanwhile, former quarterback and current analyst Chase Daniel of The Athletic indicated during Friday’s episode of FS1’s “The Facility” that Wilson is no longer fond of the Steelers.
“I’m telling you right now,” Daniel said, per Ross McCorkle of Steelers Depot. “Based on talks with Russell Wilson, he feels some type of way.”
Wilson spent the first six weeks of the 2024 season recovering from a lingering calf problem before he guided the Steelers to six wins across seven games. However, he and offensive coordinator Arthur Smith reportedly fought through differences as Pittsburgh closed the campaign with five straight losses (through the wild-card round of the playoffs).
Following the start of the new league year on Wednesday, Pittsburgh brought former QB2 Mason Rudolph back to the Steel City. Florio said he thinks the signing of Rudolph closed the door on the Steelers running it back with Wilson.
Much was made of Wilson’s two-season stint with the Denver Broncos, so it will be interesting to see what’s eventually learned about his Pittsburgh exit. Then again, he and the Steelers could soon determine that they need each other for at least one more year.
This content was brought to you by: Yardbarker: NFL
