“I’ll keep this short and very much to the point: Russell Wilson’s not wanted by the Steelers,” Dejan Kovacevic of DK Pittsburgh Sports said about Russell Wilson. Considering his performances in the 2nd half of the season, one can not deny that Wilson’s best days are way past him. After the wild-card defeat, HC Mike Tomlin made it pretty clear that Wilson is not part of his plan anymore. And let’s not forget his fallout with the Steelers’ offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, who prefers Justin Fields over Wilson as a starter. “I still view Justin and he is, I think, [a] premium starter in this league,” Smith said in Nov 2024. Nothing was in favor of the 36-year-old QB until the Steelers owner clarified his stance on Wilson or Fields and they have

The Boss has finally taken notice. Comparisons of Russell Wilson and Justin Fields at the Steelers weren’t ending. Everyone was almost assured that the young 25-year-old quarterback will be the starter in 2025, while the veteran will have to pack his bags and leave. But a senior reporter managed to find what the owner, Art Rooney II, was thinking.

Just two weeks back the Steelers owner was as confused as the fans on whom to get on board between Fields and Wilson. Rooney said it is unlikely to bring both Fields and Wilson on the same roster but he wouldn’t close the door either. “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. So, I would say most likely we probably don’t wind up bringing them both back,” Rooney said. However, a recent update reveals who Rooney actually wants to see under center at Acrisure Stadium.

Per the Steelers beat writer Mark Kaboly, Rooney has a soft corner for the veteran QB. “I heard that maybe Art is in favor of Russ than maybe the rest. Now who has the last call on this? I don’t know. But I think they made it crystal clear, at least Art did, to me, and I do believe him on this one,” Kaboly said while speaking on 93.7 The Fan. Kaboly also said that Rooney sees Fields as ‘plan B.’

Well, when almost everyone has turned their back on Wilson, Rooney’s stance gives little hope to the Super Bowl winner, who has already claimed he will get an extension. But the question still lies. Will the HC Mike Tomlin approve this move?

There are 2 sides to this QB decision. Russell Wilson has a heap of experience. But he failed to become the leader of the locker room, despite spending the entire year with them. The O-line was almost negligible. Not only did they lose the last 4 games, but couldn’t even score more than 17 points. Moreover, the risk of any injury is always there for the 36-year-old.

On the other hand, Justin Fields started with a bang, winning the first 3 games. But as competition increased, he also lost 2 games, finishing his 2024 season with a 4-2 record in 6 games. Russell Wilson finished with a 6-5 record in 11 games. So, the comparison is tough. But both signal callers want a clear path ahead.

The head coach is paying attention to everything that rocked their ship in the 2024 season. It starts with sorting out the Steelers coaching staff.

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Mike Tomlin fires 2 coaches for failing

He hasn’t forgotten the loss in the final 4 games of the regular season and the wildcard loss 14-28 to the Ravens. Russell Wilson couldn’t take his team over the edge. Not only him, the head coach also blamed Aaron Curry, the inside linebackers coach, and Grady Brown, the secondary coach. Both have been shown the door.

Post-Gazette Steelers insider Ray Fittipaldo claimed on the February 12 episode of the North Shore Drive podcast, “You gotta trust that Mike Tomlin knows what he’s doing here.” He also talked about how bad the communication between the defense lines was and added, “So, I don’t know if both those guys were scapegoated, but it certainly seems like those issues that were ongoing throughout the season that were never fixed, it looks like it cost Grady and Aaron Curry both of their jobs.“Certainly, the issues were there.

Even in the playoff game, the Ravens were already up by 21-0 by halftime. Russell Wilson tried to make a comeback with 2 TDs in the 3rd quarter, but the game was almost over. The Black and the Gold players looked tired, and the Steelers’ defense had sort of given up.

The owner and the fans want the same thing. A Trophy! They last won a Super Bowl in 2008 and an NFC Championship in 2010. So, the focus is building on the perfect environment for that.