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The Pittsburgh Steelers are seemingly without a good solution at quarterback. The 2024 season was one in which they spent less money on QBs than any other team in the league, paying Russell Wilson and Justin Fields a combined $5 million with each on a 1-year deal. The quarterbacks who make up the 2025 NFL Draft class leave a lot to be desired, and Pittsburgh holds the 21st pick, which would seemingly be a reach for anyone not named Cam Ward or Shedeur Sanders
This could mean that Pittsburgh ends up deciding to run it back with Wilson for one more year. It’s the easiest solution to arrive at, and the two sides have already begun discussions on a new contract. However, there doesn’t seem to be a consensus around the league on what sort of deal Wilson — who completed 63 percent of his passes for 2,482 yards, 16 touchdowns and 5 interceptions — will command.
Yes, Russell Wilson is a former Super Bowl champion and undoubtedly one of the best quarterbacks of the last decade. But he’s 36 years old and the Steelers flamed out in spectacular fashion over the final month of the season. Pittsburgh lost their final five games — a Wild Card defeat at the hands of the Baltimore Ravens included — and didn’t manage to score more than 17 points in any of those losses. This finish led many around the league to believe that Russ won’t, or shouldn’t, be starting next season.
“I don’t think Russ is a starter in the league next season,” NBC Sports NFL analyst Chris Simms told Ryan Dunleavy of The NY Post. “I probably wouldn’t touch him.”
In addition to the Steelers, there are a half-dozen other teams around the league that need to figure out who they’ll be starting at quarterback when the 2025 season begins. The Tennessee Titans and Cleveland Browns have the top two picks in the NFL Draft, and it’s possible that Ward and Sanders go 1-2. The New York Giants, Las Vegas Raiders, New Orleans Saints and New York Jets all lack a long-term answer, and it’s possible we can add that Los Angeles Rams to that list too if Matthew Stafford opts to retire.
This is not the ideal offseason to be in need of a quarterback. As mentioned above, this year’s draft class is among the weakest in recent memory, and Sam Darnold is the closest thing to a big prize in free agency. Given how Darnold played in Minnesota’s final two games, the excitement has diminished in a big way, but he is the one quarterback who Simms says “would moves the needle,” for any QB-needy teams out there.
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