Steelers Didn't Miss on Russell Wilson

Russell Wilson is headed to the New York Giants, signing a one-year deal for the 2025 season. He leaves the Pittsburgh Steelers, who still don't have a quarterback in place. And with no answer from Aaron Rodgers yet, many are viewing Wilson's deal in New York as a miss for the Steelers.

It wasn't. From the beginning, the Steelers viewed names like Justin Fields as their top priority, with Wilson being a backup plan. When Fields left for the New York Jets, the Steelers turned their attention to Rodgers, again, with Wilson as a "Plan B".

"Heading into the offseason Russell Wilson was an option for [the Steelers]," a team source told Steelers On SI. "We were well aware of that. But as I told you, if Russell Wilson would’ve been our quarterback in 2025, other scenarios that we valued higher would of had to not come to fruition."

While the Steelers looked at Fields and then Rodgers, Wilson remained hopeful that Pittsburgh could be a landing spot. Mike Tomlin, Omar Khan and company never ruled out the possibility of turning back to Wilson, but they weren't willing to give up on other pursuits to make sure they signed him before he signed elsewhere.

That clock has now run out. But by no means, do the Steelers or anyone close to the situation believe the team "missed out" on Wilson. They knew the risk of him signing elsewhere was there the whole time, and remain confident that their plans are the best in place for this season and the future.

The team remains optimistic that they are the top landing spot for Rodgers, who now loses New York as a possible destination. He could decide to retire, and the Steelers are not certain they're going to sign him this offseason.

But they were willing to stay the course and risk Wilson going elsewhere. Because throughout the process, they've viewed other options are priority, and still see it that way today.