Russell Wilson, it might be time for you to hang up those cleats.
After two lackluster seasons with the Denver Broncos, Wilson signed a one-year, $1.2 million contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers in March to try to revive his career. He did eventually resume his career—but it wasn't his own.
Wilson missed the first four weeks of the season due to a calf injury, and Pittsburgh turned to Justin Fields in his absence. Like Wilson, Fields needed a change of scenery, and he got that when the Steelers sent a 2025 sixth-round pick to the Chicago Bears last offseason for the 25-year-old changed.
Fields, the 11th overall pick in the 2021 draft by Chicago, clearly never reached his full potential in his three seasons with the Bears. However, his dual-threat ability was on full display in Pittsburgh, where he threw for three touchdowns and rushed for three touchdowns, leading the Steelers to a 3-1 record.
Before landing in the Steel City, Fields had never completed more than 61.4% of his passes in a single season. As Fields prepares to start again in Week 5 against the Dallas Cowboys, he has completed 77 of 109 passes (70.6 percent) and has been sacked just once.
It took four years, but Fields has officially become an NFL starter. Pittsburgh head coach Mike Tomlin better think twice before taking this title away.
If Wilson does get cleared to return, he better plan on putting on a headset and having a real friendly chat with Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith over the broadcast.
This isn't Russell Wilson, who led the Seattle Seahawks to winning season after winning season in his late 20s and early 30s. This is far from the case. This is the backup quarterback at NFL Hospice.
If Wilson wants Pittsburgh to be the final stop on his NFL journey, he might as well call it a career now. Fields is still young, and if he continues to perform at this level, Tomlin will have no reason to make a change. As they say, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.
However, there are plenty of teams around the league that could benefit from Wilson's services. The Miami Dolphins likely top the list, with the Cleveland Browns and Tennessee Titans earning honorable mentions.
At this point, there's a good chance Wilson will never be seen photographed in a Steelers uniform. Maybe we'll never even see him step onto the field anywhere again.
Let’s not forget that Wilson is fighting for the veteran minimum wage. This is not a contract you give to a guy who plans to be in the league for a longer period of time. If we had to guess, Wilson, 35, has always thought this could be his last season. Now it's just going to be much shorter than expected.
So, congratulations to Fields. Pittsburgh is his team now, and there's nothing Wilson can do to change that.