Russell Wilson opens up about desire to return to Pittsburgh Steelers in 2025

The Pittsburgh Steelers are entering an offseason full of many questions, none more major than the future of their quarterback position. Neither Russell Wilson nor Justin Fields is under contract for 2025, though the former made his intentions clear on Wednesday.

Speaking on “The Pat McAfee Show,” Wilson called Pittsburgh a “special place,” and said he would like to play there “for a lot longer.” Wilson added he’s had preliminary discussions with the organization about potentially returning next season.

“Going into Pittsburgh was a special place for me,” Wilson said. “I love it, hopefully I get to play there for a lot longer. It’s a special place because of the guys in the locker room, the traditions, and the people, and the winning, and all of that. Plus, you’ve got [head coach] Mike Tomlin, who’s arguably the best coach of all time. One of the top ones, just because of who he is and how he motivates us. Even through the storm, I think we battled and a lot of that was because of coach Tomlin and who he is and how he makes us prepare.”

"Pittsburgh was a special place for me and I love it there..

Mike Tomlin motivates us and being around him was a gift..

There's so much leadership in that locker room and that's what makes it special" @DangeRussWilson #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/6i1xPeZ3S0

— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) January 22, 2025

Last offseason, the Steelers acquired Fields from the Chicago Bears and signed Wilson to a one-year deal following his release from the Denver Broncos. Tomlin named Wilson the starter over Fields coming out of training camp and the preseason, but a calf injury forced him to miss the first six games of the season. Fields led Pittsburgh to a 4-2 record before making way for Wilson. The Steelers won six of Wilson’s first seven starts. At one point, Pittsburgh carried a 10-3 record and occupied first place in a competitive AFC North.

A four-game losing streak to end the regular season meant that Pittsburgh would have to play on the road as a Wild Card against the Baltimore Ravens, who captured the division crown for the second consecutive season. Pittsburgh dropped their sixth consecutive playoff game dating back to 2016 under Tomlin. The Wilson-led offense was shutout in the first half, soundly defeated 28-14 by the Ravens. Wilson completed 20-of-29 passes for 270 yards and two touchdowns.

Russell Wilson wants to return to Steelers in 2025; Do the Steelers want him?

There was a common theme throughout the five straight defeats: The Steelers struggled to put points on the board, failing to surpass more than 17 points. Wilson, 36, finished his 13th season in the NFL throwing for 2,482 yards, 16 touchdowns and five interceptions on 63.7% passing.

Wilson is older now and not the same quarterback who won a Super Bowl with the Seattle Seahawks in 2013. But his desire to compete is still there, and he would love to continue doing that in the Steel City.

“Obviously, this year was an exciting year in a lot of ways,” Wilson said. “It was tough at the end. Obviously, we didn’t get it done. But I’ve got so much more in me, man. I’m excited. Obviously, my goal is to be with the Pittsburgh Steelers a long time and, hopefully, finish my career there. … I’ve always gone against the odds and people doubting. I think that’s just part of my nature. I don’t know if that’s little-man syndrome or what.

“But I love ball, man. I love competing every day. And I love getting after it. Anybody that knows me, knows that I’m going to do everything I can to be my best for the longest time possible.”

Mike Tomlin addresses Steelers QB plans for 2025, future of Russell Wilson, Justin Fields

Tomlin hasn’t ruled out the possibility of bringing back Wilson, or Fields, or perhaps both in 2025. At the same time, Tomlin hasn’t ruled out letting both go elsewhere and revamping the quarterback room this offseason.

“Obviously, we don’t have a quarterback under contract, and so we got some major discussions there,” Tomlin said last Tuesday. “It was a really good experience with the three quarterbacks that were on our roster this year, individually and collectively. We are certainly open to considering those guys. But there’s a lot of work ahead of us.

“And the major work obviously, starts first and foremost with just understanding what our options are, what the field looks like in free agency, what the draft pool looks like. And then beginning the process in terms of decision-making based on known variables.”