The end-of-season slide for the Pittsburgh Steelers coincided with a significant downturn in production for quarterback Russell Wilson , but despite the lack of team and individual success, ESPN is still predicting that the Steelers will bring Wilson back for 2025 — and possibly beyond — on a significant contract.
ESPN's Tony Graziano suggested that a contract like the one that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers gave Baker Mayfield last season is still on the table. That was a three-year, $100 million contract. Not only that, Graziano suggested that there's some question as to whether Wilson would take such a deal.
"The Steelers like Wilson, and they aren't thrilled about the other options they'll have on the offseason quarterback market," Graziano wrote at ESPN.com on Saturday. "If Wilson will take a deal similar to the three-year, $100 million deal Baker Mayfield got from the Buccaneers this past year, he could stick around for a while."
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson at practice on Jan. 8, 2025. — Ed Thompson / Steelers Now
Contract tracking website Spotrac put out its valuation of the quarterbacks set to hit the open market recently, and they see Wilson as being significantly more valuable. Spotrac has Wilson valued at $40.3 million per year on a two-year deal. That would make him the 14th-highest paid quarterback in the league.
That's not that much less than the big-money deal Wilson signed with the Denver Broncos when he was traded there in 2022. Wilson's deal with Denver was for five years, $242.6 million and had a $48.5 million average annual value.
As the Steelers lost their final four regular season games, Wilson had an 81.3 passer rating, with four touchdowns compared to two interceptions and two fumbles lost. He was also sacked 14 times over those four games. Wilson had better numbers in the playoff loss to the Ravens, but the Steelers were trailing by two scores for almost the entire contest.
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterbacks Russell Wilson and Justin Fields at practice on Dec. 4, 2024. — Ed Thompson / Steelers Now
All three of the team's quarterbacks, Wilson, Justin Fields and Kyle Allen are set to become free agents in 2025.
A report by Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated this week said the team grew frustrated with Wilson down the stretch run, but would love to keep working with Fields, who started the first six games of the season while Wilson was hurt.
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