Insider, executive predict contract Steelers’ Russell Wilson will get this coming offseason

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson was largely fantastic, minus an early interception that was returned for a touchdown, as he guided his club to an impressive 44-38 win at the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday that improved first-place Pittsburgh to 9-3 on the season.

Following that victory, Dan Graziano of ESPN said it now “doesn’t seem impossible” Wilson could remain with Pittsburgh beyond the ongoing campaign via a deal similar to the one Baker Mayfield signed to stay with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last offseason. Mayfield put pen to paper on a three-year, $100M contract with a maximum value of $115M that included $30M guaranteed in 2024 and $30M (with $20M guaranteed) in 2025.

Wilson signed a team-friendly contract to join the Steelers this past March and then spent the first six weeks of the season recovering from a lingering calf problem as Justin Fields led Pittsburgh to a 4-2 record. Wilson has since won five of six starts, and he completed 29-of-38 passes for 414 yards and three touchdowns against Cincinnati.

While some thought as recently as last week that Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin could go back to Fields amid Pittsburgh’s offensive red-zone woes, Tomlin never offered any real sign he was considering making a lineup change. Following Sunday’s game, one unnamed executive from another team spoke with Mike Sando of The Athletic about what it could cost Pittsburgh to hold onto Wilson next year.

“If he goes to the playoffs and they win a playoff game and lose to the Chiefs in a close one, you are telling me he is not going to get Daniel Jones-type contract offers around the league?” the executive said about Wilson’s future.

Jones famously received what was initially reported to be a four-year contract that could be worth up to $160M from the New York Giants back in March 2023. However, it became clear that spring that the Giants could escape Jones’ deal after two seasons. Jones and the Giants parted ways last month.

The Steelers have a long-standing policy of not negotiating deals with players during seasons, so Wilson will have to continue proving his worth to the club through January. Considering he has emerged as the CEO of the offense and produced his best performance as a Steeler shortly after he turned 36 years old in late November, it seems likely team leaders will push the front office to re-sign Wilson unless he endures some sort of collapse over the next month or so.