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Russell Wilson is reportedly remaining confident in the possibility he will return for a second season with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
“I was with Russell on Friday, and I’m just telling you, the tone that I got from him was entirely different than reports that are out there,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter said Monday on the Pat McAfee Show. “And we’ll see what winds up happening, whether or not he’s back there. But I think he feels like there’s definitely a chance he’s going to be back there.
“He’s having conversations with the organization about the future, and where it’s going to go. There’s still a lot that’s going to play out here, but I think he definitely thinks that he may be back in Pittsburgh.”
Pat McAfee @PatMcAfeeShow
“I was with Russell Wilson on Friday and he feels like there’s a chance he’s gonna be back in Pittsburgh..
He’s having conversations with the organization about the future” ~ @AdamSchefter #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/7ld5P0B88E
Both Wilson and Justin Fields hit free agency after the 2024 season, and team owner Art Rooney said last week the Steelers “probably won’t wind up bringing them both back.”
“I think both of them see themselves as starters, and I don’t know that they want to share the same job again next year,” Rooney said, per ESPN’s Brooke Pryor.
Both Wilson and Fields have expressed interest in being the Steelers’ QB1 next season.
Days after the Steelers were eliminated from the Wild Card round with a Jan. 11 loss to the Baltimore Ravens, Wilson told reporters returning to Pittsburgh in 2025 was “the plan.”
“I just love the guys,” Wilson said. “I love the locker room. I love Coach Tomlin… I love playing the game. And, you know, if it works out that way, I’m excited to do that for the black and gold again.”
Two weeks earlier, Fields had told Kevin Gorman of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review he wanted to be in Pittsburgh next season.
“I’m kind of tired of learning a new offense every year,” Fields said. “This will be my third in four years. Of course I’d love to be back, but that’s all up to God at the end of the day. I’ll be where God wants me to be.”
Schefter reported on Sunday night that the Steelers have spoken with both Fields and Wilson so far this offseason.
As of Sunday, the Steelers were “still undecided” as to which of the free agent quarterbacks they would re-sign, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport.
Per Pelissero and Rapoport, the Steelers are looking to sign one Wilson or Fields to “a short-term deal while also continuing to seek a long-term answer, potentially through the draft.”
That matches what Rooney said earlier this month, when he said the Steelers would be targeting quarterbacks in the 2025 and 2026 drafts, per Pryor.
Wilson, who turned 36 in November, is likely to be targeting a short-term contract regardless of where he ends after the dissolution of his previous deal with the Denver Broncos.
Fields, who will turn 26 in March, could look to earn a longer-term contract if he can take the next step in his development on a prove-it deal next season.
Schefter said Sunday there were “a number of teams interested” in Fields should he depart from the Steelers this offseason. Free agency interest from other franchises could encourage the Steelers to make their quarterback decision as soon as possible.
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