Steelers' Russell Wilson makes surprising revelation about eventual retirement

Some within the NFL community thought earlier this year that veteran quarterback Russell Wilson was well past his prime following two lackluster seasons with the Denver Broncos. 

Wilson has since looked like a player reborn with the Pittsburgh Steelers this fall. During a lengthy "NFL on ESPN" interview released on Thursday, the 35-year-old shared a surprising revelation regarding how much longer he wants to play in the league. 

"I definitely wanna play another five to seven more years," Wilson explained, as Jeremy Pike of Steelers Depot shared. "I think that's always been my goal. I've been very clear about that since the beginning. I think that's always been my mindset is the longevity of the game. ...I feel great. I feel young. I feel still like I can move around out there and make all the decisions and all the throws and throw the ball where I need to throw it." 

Some wondered if Wilson would ever take a meaningful snap for the Steelers after he signed a team-friendly contract in March. He then missed Pittsburgh's first six games while recovering from a lingering calf problem. He then completed 50-of-85 passes (58.8 percent) for 737 yards with six touchdowns and one interception, along with a rushing score, across three consecutive wins.

Per Troy Montgomery of Steelers Depot, team insider Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette said earlier this week that Wilson could ultimately receive a multi-year contract from the club similar to the one Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield inked this past offseason if the one-time Super Bowl champion continues to play well through January. While Wilson has long-term goals, he told ESPN's Hannah Storm he's also focusing on winning one game at a time. 

"Then get to the end of the season," Wilson continued, "hopefully we're holding something that we'll forever remember. And so I had a goal of winning a couple more [championships]. That's why I came here." 

Wilson and the 7-2 Steelers can make a big statement when they welcome the rival Baltimore Ravens (7-3) to Acrisure Stadium this Sunday. As of Friday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook listed Pittsburgh as a 3.5-point underdog for that matchup.