Russell Wilson’s one-year rental program seems to be up as Steelers focus on future

Pittsburgh Steelers had clarified that either one between Russell Wilson or Justin Fields will stay on next season.

Russell Wilson’s one-year rental program seems to be up as Steelers focus on future

Pittsburgh Steelers are looking to keep Justin Fields as starting QB (Image via NFL/X)

The Pittsburgh Steelers ended up in a favorable situation last season. They traded with the Chicago Bears to bring Justin Fields to Pennsylvania and then signed veteran Russell Wilson for chump change. The idea was to essentially give both quarterbacks a one season audition.

That audition saw Justin Fields start, and he led the team to a 4-2 record. Despite that, some believed Fields was not doing enough to justify continuing in that role. When Russell Wilson returned to full health, they sidelined Fields and handed the veteran the starting job.

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A 6-1 record followed, seemingly justifying everyone’s opinion that the 36-year-old Super Bowl champion was still a good quarterback. Just as those conversations started to happen, the Pittsburgh Steelers lost four straight games to playoff contenders.

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Now the conversation surrounding Russell Wilson was that he was not good at red zone offense. That opinion showed its ugly side as the Steelers crashed out of the Wild Card round. Now that the one-year audition is over, the Steelers are moving towards a decision.

As far as I can tell, based on the sources I’ve spoken with, it is more likely that Justin Fields is the next QB of the Pittsburgh Steelers rather than Russell Wilson.

Ian Rapoport said via The Insiders on
NFL Network

The NFL Network insider added that the franchise wants to give Justin Fields a full season to see how he leads them. To help him, the franchise will also place pieces around him so that they can build a competitive future.

Raiders could be next best choice for Russell Wilson

If the Pittsburgh Steelers do move on from Russell Wilson, the veteran quarterback will have to look for another job. He has claimed that he has plenty of football left in him and a team needing a steady presence could look at him.

Russell Wilson could land with the Las Vegas Raiders
Russell Wilson could land with the Las Vegas Raiders (Image via NFL/X)

Now that the Las Vegas Raiders have hired Pete Carroll, that makes it the obvious choice for his former pupil. They have looked at other quarterbacks, but with options dwindling around them, they might have to go this route.

Russell Wilson might not take them back to the playoffs. But he can help them bridge the gap with steady QB play for at least one season. They are picking at No. 6 in NFL Draft, but the current crop of draft prospects is not enticing enough.

They could sign Wilson to a veteran minimum deal and look at prospects next season. Even if they do draft someone like Shedeur Sanders, Wilson could bring some stability as they look to develop him as a backup.

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