Tag: Russell Wilson

Could the Steelers sign Russell Wilson to a long-term deal?

For the third time since Ben Roethlisberger retired, the Pittsburgh Steelers have a quarterback situation to resolve in the offseason. 

For the third time since Ben Roethlisberger retired, the Pittsburgh Steelers have a quarterback situation to resolve in the offseason.

Pittsburgh would be wise to ink the younger, more athletic Justin Fields to a long-term contract, but a Steelers insider believes it’ll be Russell Wilson.

It’s pure speculation, but when asked his opinion on who the Steelers will sign between the two, Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette responded:

The same guy they picked first in free agency and the same guy who was put in as the starter in Week 7.

Signing Wilson beyond 2024 was part of Pittsburgh’s future plans after he was acquired as a free agent, so it wouldn’t be a surprise if it came to light.

But signing Wilson won’t come cheap. Current projections are all over the place from two to three-year deals in the $40 million APY range. The Steelers must navigate cap space challenges in order to make this deal happen. Creative restructuring of existing contracts or letting go of key players could be necessary. Additionally, Wilson’s age—he’ll turn 37 next season—raises questions about how long he can perform at a level worthy of a deal.

After he was signed to a one-year deal in March, Wilson told Steelers reporter Missi Matthews, “I’ve got five to seven more years of ball that I really want to be the best that I can be.”

The front office must weigh the risk of committing long-term to a player entering the twilight of his career.

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Before you ask, NO, the Steelers won’t sign Daniel Jones

The Giants released Daniels Jones on Friday and the Steelers need to stay far away from him.

Huge news out of New York on Friday with the Giants releasing former first-round pick Daniel Jones. According to reports, this was a mutually-agreed upon breakup between Jones and the Giants.

So before anyone asks, let’s be sure we are all clear. The Pittsburgh Steelers will not sign Jones this season. That’s not to say if Jones is on the market after the season ends, the Steelers might not entertain the idea but for now, the Steelers have enough quarterback problems to deal with without adding Jones to the mix.

Jones was the No. 6 overall pick in 2019. He played well enough to convince the Giants to give him a four-year, $160 million extension in the 2023 offseason. Jones has been a disaster since signing his new contract. The Steelers are already trying to sort out what to do with Russell Wilson and Justin Fields and while neither guy is signed for 2025, we do not expect Pittsburgh to bring in Jones now and just further complicate things.

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Bengals LB adds more fire to Week 13 rivalry game against Steelers

Germaine Pratt guarantees a Bengals win in Week 13, but can the Steelers use his bold words as fuel to secure a crucial AFC North victory?

Be careful what you wish for, Cincinnati. It appears that Bengals LB Germaine Pratt is having a pretty boring, and obviously insecure, Week 12 bye week, as the AFC North linebacker is guaranteeing a Week 13 win against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Recently, Pratt and the Bengals have fallen under scrutiny for their awful performance through 11 games, sitting just one game away from last place in the AFC North standings, with a record of four wins and seven losses.

With the Bengals’ playoff hopes seemingly nonexistent, Pratt is holding on to the faint hope of a miracle finish in the final six weeks of the season.

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Can the Steelers silence Pratt and the Bengals, further contributing to Cincinnati’s potential three-game losing streak with a Pittsburgh victory? Only time will tell, but it’s clear the Steelers have extra motivation to bounce back from their Week 12 loss to the Cleveland Browns. Fans can look forward to watching a Russell Wilson-led offense take on Pratt and the Bengals defense in Week 13 on December 1 at 1:00 PM EST.

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Steelers QB Russell Wilson labeled ‘loser’ in first loss of season to Browns

Russell Wilson was among the losers after the Cleveland Browns hand the Pittsburgh Steelers another Thursday Night Football loss.

Despite posting a passer rating of 116.7—his fourth consecutive game above 90 — Pittsburgh Steelers QB Russell Wilson faced criticism following his first loss as a starter.

Wilson was among the losers in Tyler Dragon’s winners and losers column for USA Today, where he wrote:

Wilson suffered his first loss as the Steelers’ starting QB despite producing his fourth straight game with a passer rating above 90 (116.7). The veteran quarterback is now 4-1 as Pittsburgh’s starter. He’s played well enough to keep his job.

A trend of Wilson’s this season is a shaky start, and the Week 12 loss to the Cleveland Browns was no different. Wilson’s fumble at the end of the first quarter led to three points on the board for Cleveland. He finally got it together to finish the night 21-for-28, 270 yards and a touchdown.

Wilson’s arrival in Pittsburgh has been positive overall, with the QB leading the team to a 4-1 record since taking the reins. The former Super Bowl champion has proven he can still manage games efficiently and connect on deep shots to receivers. However, Wilson has been holding onto the ball too long, resulting in 16 sacks since taking over as the starter.

Critics may point to his age or that Wilson’s best years are behind him, but his on-field performance tells a different story. As the Steelers prepare for Week 13, Wilson’s leadership and ability to rebound from adversity will be put to the test by the Cincinnati Bengals.

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Steelers’ quarterback quandary: Grading Russell Wilson and Justin Fields

Pro Football Network grades Steelers quarterbacks Russell Wilson and Justin Fields ahead of Week 12 Cleveland Browns matchup.

The Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback quandary ended when Russell Wilson was medically cleared from an offseason calf injury. Justin Fields reverted to Wilson’s backup and debuted his limited package in Week 11 against the Baltimore Ravens.

Both players bring unique strengths and weaknesses to the table, but the jury is still out on whether this was the right call.

Ben Rolfe at Pro Football Network recently broke it down like this:

13) Russell Wilson, Pittsburgh Steelers
Grade: C+

Russell Wilson is the poster child for why we set a 100-pass attempt minimum for these rankings. A week ago, he would have ranked inside the top five in these rankings, but his fourth start saw him plummet down the rankings after he ranked 26th on the week.

Wilson has been good when able to operate from a clean pocket this season, ranking eighth, but ranks 28th when he has to make plays under pressure. Prior to this week, choosing Wilson as the starter over Fields looked like a wise decision, but that is less decisive after the game against the Baltimore Ravens

14) Justin Fields, Pittsburgh Steelers
Grade: C+

It was a brave call from the Pittsburgh Steelers to bench Justin Fields after a 4-2 start to the season. Fields was having his career-best season in Pittsburgh, but the bar was low, and the numbers do not suggest he should have unquestioningly remained the starting QB.

There was a lot of promise about what Fields was doing, including ranking 10th when throwing under pressure and converting on third down. He wasn’t particularly performing badly at anything other than nYPA, which was ranked 25th at 6.1.

Fields was not hurting the Steelers and is a fine fill-in starter, but Wilson still offers Pittsburgh a slight advantage in the passing game.

The Steelers need long-term stability under center, something they have not had since the Ben Roethlisberger era. While Wilson’s ceiling is enticing, his inconsistency draws uncertainty. Fields is much younger, still developing and offers a spark with his athleticism.

Pittsburgh’s quarterback quandary will be most interesting to monitor early in the offseason, as both Wilson and Fields’ contracts expire at the beginning of the new NFL league year in March.

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One year ago today, the Steelers offense changed forever

One year ago, the Steelers fired OC Matt Canada, starting a journey to rebuild their offense and achieve success under OC Arthur Smith.

One year ago today, fans of the Black and Gold danced in the streets of Pittsburgh, and excitement could be seen on the face of every member of the Steelers organization. On November 21, 2023, the Pittsburgh Steelers fired OC Matt Canada.

Under Canada’s 2023 offensive scheme, through his eleven games that season, the Steelers’ offense posted five games with 17 points or less. His last game as offensive coordinator came in Week 11, following a mere 10 points scored against the Cleveland Browns.

While it took some time, the Steelers would score 34 points against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 16 and 30 points against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 17.

While fans were forced to play the blame game between then-starting QB Kenny Pickett, backup QB Mitchell Trubisky, and former OC Matt Canada, the offense improved to 19.7 points per game without Canada calling the plays.

Ultimately, one year ago today marked the beginning of the journey to solving the Steelers’ offensive issues and resulted in an impressive offense led by OC Arthur Smith and QB Russell Wilson.

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Former Steelers All-Pro WR teases return to Pittsburgh on social media

Antonio Brown teased on social media that he still hopes to rejoin the Steelers in 2024, and even offered to play for free.

The Antonio Brown-Pittsburgh redemption story continues! While fans of the Steel City were ecstatic to welcome back the former All-Pro WR and fellow member of the Killer B’s trio, former Steelers All-Pro RB Le’Veon Bell, no one could have predicted that Brown still yearns to play for the Black and Gold in 2024.

It appears Brown wasn’t satisfied with simply representing the Black and Gold as a spectator during his Week 7 return to Pittsburgh. Brown stated on social media that his offer to finish out the 2024 season as a member of the Steelers roster still stands.

No one can deny the threat that a Russell Wilson-led Steelers offense would pose with A.B., George Pickens, and Mike Williams tearing through opposing secondaries.

Should General Manager Omar Khan and Head Coach Mike Tomlin take a chance on the 36-year-old wide receiver? His untimely and shocking exit from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during their Week 17 game of the 2021 season was the last time his talents graced an NFL field, but he has recently done his best to turn over a new leaf.

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Should Justin Fields be used more inside the 25? Red Zone struggles continue in win over Baltimore.

The Steelers struggles in the red zone continue with Russell Wilson at quarterback.

It’s no secret the Pittsburgh Steelers have been stalling in the Red Zone – in fact, they sit at 30th in the NFL as far as Red Zone efficiency.

One fix Steelers fans have been vouching for is to use QB Justin Fields in that area, where his legs are as dangerous as can be. Statistically, he has the stats to back its success.

Per Alan Saunders of Steelers Now, each quarterback brought Pittsburgh inside the 10-yard line 11 times, and Fields gave them 8 touchdowns and 1 FG as opposed to Wilson’s 4 TDs and 5 FGs.

Wilson’s drives have stalled out more than Fields’, but maybe that’s due to an imminent passing game with Wilson taking the helm, rather than mainly relying on the run game to score.

Despite this, it’s also important to note how Steelers OC Arthur Smith plans to use Fields and his surreal athleticism – for package plays designed for him. Smith plans on using him much more in the near future as the season is just past the half way point.

“I don’t view Justin as a gadget guy. We have two starting quarterbacks,” said Smith.

The recent Red Zone struggles are a sign for Smith to try out that “package” near the end of the field, but only time will tell if that’s one of the answers Pittsburgh needs in the final stretch of games.

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All 32 starting NFL QBs (including Russell Wilson) ranked by Total QBR

Where does Russell Wilson rank among the rest of the league in Total QBR?

Since switching from Justin Fields to Russell Wilson, the Pittsburgh Steelers have gone 4-0 and are on top in the AFC North. The team is 8-2 and if the playoffs started today, would be the No. 3 seed in the playoffs.

There are lost of ways to look at quarterback success but many say wins simply aren’t enough. Perhaps the most thorough measure of a quarterback’s contribution to that win is Total QBR, developed by ESPN. Here is the full ranking of all 32 NFL quarterbacks by Total QBR after Week 11 including Wilson.

NFL QBs ranked by Total QBR after Week 11

  1. Joe Burrow: 76.1
  2. Lamar Jackson: 75.0
  3. Kyler Murray: 74.9
  4. Josh Allen: 72.7
  5. Jayden Daniels: 67.6
  6. Brock Purdy: 67.4
  7. Patrick Mahomes: 67.0
  8. Derek Carr: 62.1
  9. Jalen Hurts: 62.0
  10. Matthew Stafford: 60.6
  11. Tua Tagovailoa: 60.4
  12. Drake Maye: 59.6
  13. Jared Goff: 59.4
  14. Jordan Love: 59.3
  15. Kirk Cousins: 56.3
  16. Justin Herbert: 56.3
  17. Baker Mayfield: 56.2
  18. Sam Darnold: 55.7
  19. Geno Smith: 55.4
  20. Bo Nix: 55.3
  21. C.J. Stroud: 54.4
  22. Aaron Rodgers: 51.0
  23. Jameis Winston: 61.0
  24. Russell Wilson: 59.5
  25. Anthony Richardson: 45.9
  26. Caleb Williams: 44.5
  27. Gardner Minshew: 39.1
  28. Will Levis: 32.6
  29. Bryce Young: 32.5
  30. Cooper Rush: 28.4
  31. Mac Jones: 17.7
  32. Drew Lock: 8.7

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ESPN analyst lists Steelers as favorites to sign Daniel Jones in 2025

Could Daniel Jones find a fresh start in Pittsburgh? One ESPN analyst sees the Steelers as a top landing spot if the Giants move on in 2025.

Pittsburgh is slowly becoming a quarterback rehab center, where struggling signal callers leave their worries, and former teams, behind to become a much more confident QB. Russell Wilson and Justin Fields looked far more comfortable with the Steelers than they did with the Broncos and Bears, respectively, and now it appears one ESPN analyst believes Pittsburgh could add one more name to this list come the 2025 offseason.

QB Daniel Jones of the New York Giants has seemingly fallen out of the team’s aspirations for their long-term future, with backup QB Tommy DeVito being named the team’s starter by Head Coach Brian Daboll.

ESPN analyst Ben Solak fully expects the Giants to cut Jones in 2025 and touched on potential landing spots for the QB, shooting down the New York Jets as suitors while hyping up Pittsburgh’s odds: “I’m also keeping my eyes on the Steelers (current running favorite), Titans and Browns.”

If the Pittsburgh Steelers are unable to keep Fields or Wilson past 2024, could Jones provide a much-needed bridge in 2025 while the team searches for their future signal caller?

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