It’s been a tough go of things for Russell Wilson over the last three months. After briefly looking like the long-term answer for the Pittsburgh Steelers with a 6-1 record, he lost the final five games and now finds himself without a job. He was very clear in his desire to return to the Steelers, and it was reported almost immediately after his signing last March that both sides had intentions of making it a long-term partnership.
Despite Art Rooney and Omar Khan’s stated preference of bringing back one of their two quarterbacks from the 2024 season, it has now become clear that Wilson was never really a part of their plans.
“Publicly, they framed this as a Justin [Fields] versus Russ decision, but it’s pretty clear that they were really just using Russell Wilson as a backup plan and as leverage,” The Athletic’s Mike DeFabo said via The BetMGM Network on YouTube.
The Steelers were reportedly all-in on Fields at the start of free agency and made a competitive offer to him before he ultimately chose the New York Jets.
It’s almost laughable to think now that Wilson could have offered them any type of leverage in negotiations with Fields, but it was likely part of the conversation before the start of free agency. Of course, that leverage only works if Fields felt like he would have no other options, and that didn’t end up being the case.
It seems odd that just a few months ago, Mike Tomlin and the Steelers were choosing Wilson over Fields even as things took a turn for the worse in December and January. Besides the five-game losing streak, what happened to cause such a dramatic shift away from Wilson as an option?
I would imagine that some of the reported tension between Wilson and Arthur Smith has something to do with it. Wilson reportedly had his ability to check out of plays stripped away from him. I could see that being frustrating for a 13-year veteran of the league, but where did that information come from? That reeks of a leak from the Wilson camp to make him look better as he enters free agency. If that’s the case, I can’t imagine that made matters better with their already troubled relationship.
Yahoo Sports’ Charles Robinson reported that multiple offensive coaches would need convincing to bring back Wilson. To me, that sounds like the offensive coaches soured on Wilson.
Where does that leave the Steelers if they can’t sign Rodgers?
“He can’t be too happy about the way that things have gone, where initially he had to feel going into this situation that it was either him or Justin,” DeFabo said. “Now you’re going, if you’re Russell Wilson, wait a minute, you didn’t get Justin, then you explored Sam Darnold, you thought about Matt Stafford and maybe offered him a contract, now you’re talking to Aaron Rodges. How far down the list do I fall?… The Steelers may be left in this game of musical chairs without a place to sit.”
If Rodgers retires or says no to the Steelers, it would seem very difficult to circle back to Wilson. Would he even say yes if they asked? The Cleveland Browns are reportedly still interested in Wilson, so he isn’t completely out of options yet.
I suppose that would leave the Steelers with Mason Rudolph as QB1 for the 2025 season, and it might change their draft plans to ensure they are getting some young talent in the mix.
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