Wilson 2025 Contract Offer

[feltdizz]

He has thrown more INTs than his "normal" this year.

But he's still going to get somewhere around 4000 yards. Probably will get somewhere in the low-20s for TDs (which is also below his career norms).

But Lemming said he is the the middle of "falling off a cliff". I think that's a good description of what Watson did. Cousins is probably declining...but not super-dramatically IMO.

He's still essentially giving the Falcons the same as he always has.

Puts up a lot of stats.

Team finishes right around 0.500.

Probably misses the playoffs (~2/3 of the time). Or just makes the playoffs and loses in the WC.

If anyone was signing him because they thought he would turn their team into a winner...then I don't think they followed the rest of his career. He's not a guy that leads a team to the promised land. Rarely even to the playoffs. 3 playoff berths as a starter. 1 playoff win.

He's in his 13th year in the league.

Good QBs don't miss the playoffs that consistently.

Particularly in the NFC IMO.

FWIW...I think the more unpopular version of this line of thinking is that I don't think Herbert is as good as advertised either. Less of a track record of not making the playoffs. But 1/4 playoff berths isn't great. Looks like they'll make it this year though. And the AFC has clearly been the harder road since he's been in the league IMO. Still...a QB not having team success while on their rookie deal is a red flag IMO.

Cousins definitely fell off a cliff the last 4 games. 0 TDs and 8 INTS? Terrible. Atlanta used their first pick on a QB last year so talk about overpaying for a bridge QB.

I think Herbert will have more success now that he has a real HC and a defense.

[Northern_Blitz]

You are making my point. Cousins has routinely played with trash defenses. Ditto Herbert You know who else won Jack squat without superior defenses? Ben. Difference is HE HAD THAT whenever he had playoff success.

Ben had ZERO playoff wins without a top 10 defense intil his his only one after the 2015 season, THAT DEFENSE was 11th so even it was good.

Using that game I will demonstrate my point.

Bens Steelers scored 18 and won over Big Reds Bengals.
That EXACT SAME DAY Cousins scored EXACTLY THE SAME 18 and got DESTROYED by Aaron Rodger 30 plus.

To my point look at Russ. He was a loser on another team when Kenny, Mitch, and Mason were winning more games. Look at Russ now.

We won 10 with backups. You really think we can’t contend for a SB with Herbert or pre-injury Cousins? LOL.

So what do you think Russ's market value is? With numbers please.

[BURGH86STEEL]

This is a pointless topic when fans don't directly decide how much players are paid.

[feltdizz]

This is a pointless topic when fans don't directly decide how much players are paid.

pointless post

[hawaiiansteel]

Cousins definitely fell off a cliff the last 4 games. 0 TDs and 8 INTS?

Terrible.

Kirk Cousins is done.

He's not the same QB he has always been.

[NorthCoast]

Kirk Cousins has thrown 17 TDs and 15 interceptions so far this season and his passer rating is the lowest it has been in 10 years.

Those aren't good numbers and this isn't who he has always been.

And now he is sitting on the bench...

Of the 'well seasoned' QB contracts in the last couple years, only Stafford's has paid off for their team.

I'm starting to come around to the idea of running it back with a cheaper Fields until the Steelers can draft their next franchise QB.

Here's another view of Wilson's projected contract. Comes pretty close to what DeFabo said in The Athletic writeup:

Projecting a Russell Wilson contract as he enters free agency this offseason

© Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images
It wasn’t too long ago that Russell Wilson was an albatross to the Denver Broncos and they benched him in order to not have to pay him more money in the future. Now after a redemptive season with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Wilson is in line to cash in again.

Wilson is already the fourth-highest paid player in NFL history and even a mediocre deal would allow him to pass Tom Brady for third on the list.

But how do you establish a market value for Wilson, a player who was paid the league’s minimum salary by the Steelers in 2024 while his former team foot the bill? Do you go off his previous contract, which the Broncos were willing to eat just to get rid of him, or do something else?

Comparable ceilings for a new Russell Wilson contract
Let’s start with Wilson’s age. The QB just turned 36 this season, so he won’t be signing a long-term extension at the top of the market like the guys in their 20s did over the past few offseasons. He’s more in line with deals for Aaron Rodgers, Matthew Stafford, and Kirk Cousins. None of them are in the top 10 in terms of average compensation per year.

The NFL’s Highest-Paid Quarterbacks in 2024
Russell Wilson’s 2022 deal
Age at signing: 34
Length: Five years
Average money: $48.5 million/season
Fully guaranteed: $124 million (first three seasons)
Additional info: Broncos also sent trade compensation to Seahawks
2021 stats: 64.8% completions, 7.8 yards per attempt, 222.4 yards per game, 103.1 rating (Pro Bowl)

Matthew Stafford’s 2022 deal
Age at signing: 34
Length: Four years
Average money: $40 million/season ($44.5 million/year first two seasons)
Fully guaranteed: $63 million (first two years $89 million)
Additional info: $57 million rolling guarantee in 2023 offseason for 2024 season
2021 stats: 67% completions, 8.1 yards per attempt, 287.4 yards per game, 102.8 rating

Aaron Rodgers’ 2023 deal
Age at signing: 39
Length: Three years
Average money: $37.5 million/season
Fully guaranteed: $75 million (first two years)
Additional info: Jets had to send trade compensation to Green Bay
2022 stats: 64.6% completions, 6.8 yards per attempt, 217.4 yards per game, 91.1 rating (MVP in 2020 and 2021)

Kirk Cousins’ 2024 deal
Age at start of season: 36
Length: Four years
Average money: $45 million/season
Fully guaranteed: $90 million (first two years)
Additional info: Was the only one of the three who who signed as a free agent
2023 stats: 69.5% completions, 7.5 yards per attempt, 291.4 yards per game, 103.8 rating (only played 8 games due to Achilles injury)

Russell Wilson’s current numbers
Age at signing: 36
2024 stats (as of this writing): 64.7% completions, 8.1 yards per attempt, 239 yards per game, 103 rating
Potential takeaways from the four contracts
Wilson’s 2024 numbers line up with those other older quarterbacks, so if you take these four contract details and piece them together, you’re looking at two years guaranteed at around $40-$45 million per year with one or two team option years tacked on the end. It may tick slightly higher on average since, like Cousins, Wilson will be potentially hitting the free-agent market.
Let’s also be incredibly clear — the only deal on this list that worked out for the team that signed it was the Stafford deal. To get there, the Rams had to live through a very down 2022 season, too.

Comparable floors for a new Russell Wilson contract
Wilson is going to be signed to start somewhere, so that takes the ultra-low dollars off the table. That establishes his absolute floor at Jacoby Brissett bridge quarterback level of $8 million, but we aren’t even going to break that out because it’s unrealistically low.

Geno Smith’s 2023 deal
Age at signing: 33
Length: Three years
Average money: $25 million/season
Fully guaranteed: $27.3 million (first year only)
Additional info: Played in 2022 on a one-year, $3.5 million deal in Seattle.
2022 stats: 69.8% completions, 7.5 yards per attempt, 251.9 yards per game, 100.9 rating

Kirk Cousins’ 2022 deal
Age at start of season: 36
Length: One season
Average money: $35 million/season
Fully guaranteed: $35 million
Additional info: He was already signed for 2022, so this contract added a fully guaranteed 2023 year, ostensibly making it a two-year, $70 million fully guaranteed contract.
2021 stats: 66.3% completions, 7.5 yards per attempt, 263.8 yards per game, 103.1 rating (Pro Bowl)

Potential takeaways from the two contracts
Smith coming off his own reclamation project in Seattle wanted to stick around in 2023, especially because there was ample opportunity in the NFL Draft for teams to select QBs. Three of the top four picks were quarterback while another was taken 33 overall. This firmly established the middle class of quarterbacks, a place into which Baker Mayfield has subsequently slotted but he’s much younger.

With the Cousins deal, he wasn’t a true free agent and he was looking for multiple years of fully guaranteed money. A two-year, $70 million deal for Wilson would probably make the new team pretty happy.

That makes the absolute floor for Wilson the Smith contract at $25 million per season, but with Wilson’s much more established track record, I think it’s reasonable to think he’s going to make at least Cousins/Vikings money.

What is the quarterback market going to look like?
The QB market this offseason is going to be absolutely fascinating.

Which teams could be on the starting QB-needy list?

• New York Jets
• New York Giants
• Cleveland Browns
• Pittsburgh Steelers
• Tennessee Titans
• Carolina Panthers
• Las Vegas Raiders
• San Francisco 49ers

Lets say the 49ers are okay keeping Brock Purdy despite his down year and the Panthers stick with the glimpses they have seen from Bryce Young. Aaron Rodgers has said he wants to be back and with the Jets, but their situation is so up in the air, I want to keep them on here.

2025 NFL Draft prospects at quarterback
In 2024, the NFL Draft saw multiple players taken in the top 12 picks but in 2025, the NFL Draft looks pretty slim. There may only be one QB taken in the first round, so if teams want a new quarterback, they will have to look at free agents.

With six teams looking for a starting quarterback with one NFL Draft prospect capable of stepping into the role (and it’s going to be argued he needs some seasoning, anyway).

2025 NFL free agent quarterbacks class
There will be at least some competition on the free agent market alongside Wilson. If the Jets need a quarterback, Aaron Rodgers were theoretically be available after a release, so we are going to put him on here. Some really interesting starting-level options here.

Here are the current free agents plus Rodgers:

• Aaron Rodgers
• Sam Darnold
• Justin Fields
• Joe Flacco
• Jameis Winston
• Jimmy Garoppolo

You could also see a Kirk Cousins on the trade market alongside Bryce Young, Gardner Minshew, or Aiden O’Connell.
On this list, who would you take over the way Wilson has played in 2024? The list probably starts and ends with Darnold in Minnesota’s QB-friendly system with three outstanding receiving weapons and a running game.

Contract projection for Russell Wilson in the 2025 offseason
Three years, $135 million
Including two years, $95 million guaranteed

This is higher than I was expecting to go when I started writing this article, but I think the lack of medium-end starters in the draft and free agent markets is going to work in Wilson’s favor and he’s going to be the cream of the crop.

The Steelers have plenty of cap space to get this done because they were prepping their roster for an eventual Kenny Pickett extension after drafting him high and then they only paid Wilson $1.2 million in 2024. If these two sides can come together on language, it feels like a no-brainer.

Wilson visited with the Giants in the 2024 offseason and if Brian Daboll and Joe Schoen are given another year, they’ll want an established starter. The same can be said for Tom Telesco and the las Vegas Raiders, though they may have a longer time horizon on desperation with Tom Brady stepping into an organizational role.

The $95 million guaranteed would eventually put him over $400 million for his career, and into at least third place on the career earning list behind Rodgers and Stafford. Cousins is nipping at his heels at the moment.

It’s clear he is going to have suitors this offseason and will cash in.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nfl/projecting-a-russell-wilson-contract-as-he-enters-free-agency-this-offseason/ar-AA1w9PFD?ocid=msedgntp&pc=ACTS&cvid=3719d617a31e4c f6ac7bbbad6b389aba&ei=49

[WindyCitySteel]

pointless post

Threads if B86S was the lone moderator:

“The Pittsburgh Steelers play the Baltimore Ravens on Saturday”

“The Steelers wear black and gold uniforms”

“The NFL draft is scheduled for late April”

“OT: Other declarative statements"

[NorthCoast]

Threads if B86S was the lone moderator:

“The Pittsburgh Steelers play the Baltimore Ravens on Saturday”

“The Steelers wear black and gold uniforms”

“The NFL draft is scheduled for late April”

“OT: Other declarative statements"

Forgot his favorite: "It just comes down to execution"

[Northern_Blitz]

And now he is sitting on the bench...

Of the 'well seasoned' QB contracts in the last couple years, only Stafford's has paid off for their team.

I'm starting to come around to the idea of running it back with a cheaper Fields until the Steelers can draft their next franchise QB.

Here's another view of Wilson's projected contract. Comes pretty close to what DeFabo said in The Athletic writeup:

Projecting a Russell Wilson contract as he enters free agency this offseason

© Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images
It wasn’t too long ago that Russell Wilson was an albatross to the Denver Broncos and they benched him in order to not have to pay him more money in the future. Now after a redemptive season with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Wilson is in line to cash in again.

Wilson is already the fourth-highest paid player in NFL history and even a mediocre deal would allow him to pass Tom Brady for third on the list.

But how do you establish a market value for Wilson, a player who was paid the league’s minimum salary by the Steelers in 2024 while his former team foot the bill? Do you go off his previous contract, which the Broncos were willing to eat just to get rid of him, or do something else?

Comparable ceilings for a new Russell Wilson contract
Let’s start with Wilson’s age. The QB just turned 36 this season, so he won’t be signing a long-term extension at the top of the market like the guys in their 20s did over the past few offseasons. He’s more in line with deals for Aaron Rodgers, Matthew Stafford, and Kirk Cousins. None of them are in the top 10 in terms of average compensation per year.

The NFL’s Highest-Paid Quarterbacks in 2024
Russell Wilson’s 2022 deal
Age at signing: 34
Length: Five years
Average money: $48.5 million/season
Fully guaranteed: $124 million (first three seasons)
Additional info: Broncos also sent trade compensation to Seahawks
2021 stats: 64.8% completions, 7.8 yards per attempt, 222.4 yards per game, 103.1 rating (Pro Bowl)

Matthew Stafford’s 2022 deal
Age at signing: 34
Length: Four years
Average money: $40 million/season ($44.5 million/year first two seasons)
Fully guaranteed: $63 million (first two years $89 million)
Additional info: $57 million rolling guarantee in 2023 offseason for 2024 season
2021 stats: 67% completions, 8.1 yards per attempt, 287.4 yards per game, 102.8 rating

Aaron Rodgers’ 2023 deal
Age at signing: 39
Length: Three years
Average money: $37.5 million/season
Fully guaranteed: $75 million (first two years)
Additional info: Jets had to send trade compensation to Green Bay
2022 stats: 64.6% completions, 6.8 yards per attempt, 217.4 yards per game, 91.1 rating (MVP in 2020 and 2021)

Kirk Cousins’ 2024 deal
Age at start of season: 36
Length: Four years
Average money: $45 million/season
Fully guaranteed: $90 million (first two years)
Additional info: Was the only one of the three who who signed as a free agent
2023 stats: 69.5% completions, 7.5 yards per attempt, 291.4 yards per game, 103.8 rating (only played 8 games due to Achilles injury)

Russell Wilson’s current numbers
Age at signing: 36
2024 stats (as of this writing): 64.7% completions, 8.1 yards per attempt, 239 yards per game, 103 rating
Potential takeaways from the four contracts
Wilson’s 2024 numbers line up with those other older quarterbacks, so if you take these four contract details and piece them together, you’re looking at two years guaranteed at around $40-$45 million per year with one or two team option years tacked on the end. It may tick slightly higher on average since, like Cousins, Wilson will be potentially hitting the free-agent market.
Let’s also be incredibly clear — the only deal on this list that worked out for the team that signed it was the Stafford deal. To get there, the Rams had to live through a very down 2022 season, too.

Comparable floors for a new Russell Wilson contract
Wilson is going to be signed to start somewhere, so that takes the ultra-low dollars off the table. That establishes his absolute floor at Jacoby Brissett bridge quarterback level of $8 million, but we aren’t even going to break that out because it’s unrealistically low.

Geno Smith’s 2023 deal
Age at signing: 33
Length: Three years
Average money: $25 million/season
Fully guaranteed: $27.3 million (first year only)
Additional info: Played in 2022 on a one-year, $3.5 million deal in Seattle.
2022 stats: 69.8% completions, 7.5 yards per attempt, 251.9 yards per game, 100.9 rating

Kirk Cousins’ 2022 deal
Age at start of season: 36
Length: One season
Average money: $35 million/season
Fully guaranteed: $35 million
Additional info: He was already signed for 2022, so this contract added a fully guaranteed 2023 year, ostensibly making it a two-year, $70 million fully guaranteed contract.
2021 stats: 66.3% completions, 7.5 yards per attempt, 263.8 yards per game, 103.1 rating (Pro Bowl)

Potential takeaways from the two contracts
Smith coming off his own reclamation project in Seattle wanted to stick around in 2023, especially because there was ample opportunity in the NFL Draft for teams to select QBs. Three of the top four picks were quarterback while another was taken 33 overall. This firmly established the middle class of quarterbacks, a place into which Baker Mayfield has subsequently slotted but he’s much younger.

With the Cousins deal, he wasn’t a true free agent and he was looking for multiple years of fully guaranteed money. A two-year, $70 million deal for Wilson would probably make the new team pretty happy.

That makes the absolute floor for Wilson the Smith contract at $25 million per season, but with Wilson’s much more established track record, I think it’s reasonable to think he’s going to make at least Cousins/Vikings money.

What is the quarterback market going to look like?
The QB market this offseason is going to be absolutely fascinating.

Which teams could be on the starting QB-needy list?

• New York Jets
• New York Giants
• Cleveland Browns
• Pittsburgh Steelers
• Tennessee Titans
• Carolina Panthers
• Las Vegas Raiders
• San Francisco 49ers

Lets say the 49ers are okay keeping Brock Purdy despite his down year and the Panthers stick with the glimpses they have seen from Bryce Young. Aaron Rodgers has said he wants to be back and with the Jets, but their situation is so up in the air, I want to keep them on here.

2025 NFL Draft prospects at quarterback
In 2024, the NFL Draft saw multiple players taken in the top 12 picks but in 2025, the NFL Draft looks pretty slim. There may only be one QB taken in the first round, so if teams want a new quarterback, they will have to look at free agents.

With six teams looking for a starting quarterback with one NFL Draft prospect capable of stepping into the role (and it’s going to be argued he needs some seasoning, anyway).

2025 NFL free agent quarterbacks class
There will be at least some competition on the free agent market alongside Wilson. If the Jets need a quarterback, Aaron Rodgers were theoretically be available after a release, so we are going to put him on here. Some really interesting starting-level options here.

Here are the current free agents plus Rodgers:

• Aaron Rodgers
• Sam Darnold
• Justin Fields
• Joe Flacco
• Jameis Winston
• Jimmy Garoppolo

You could also see a Kirk Cousins on the trade market alongside Bryce Young, Gardner Minshew, or Aiden O’Connell.
On this list, who would you take over the way Wilson has played in 2024? The list probably starts and ends with Darnold in Minnesota’s QB-friendly system with three outstanding receiving weapons and a running game.

Contract projection for Russell Wilson in the 2025 offseason
Three years, $135 million
Including two years, $95 million guaranteed

This is higher than I was expecting to go when I started writing this article, but I think the lack of medium-end starters in the draft and free agent markets is going to work in Wilson’s favor and he’s going to be the cream of the crop.

The Steelers have plenty of cap space to get this done because they were prepping their roster for an eventual Kenny Pickett extension after drafting him high and then they only paid Wilson $1.2 million in 2024. If these two sides can come together on language, it feels like a no-brainer.

Wilson visited with the Giants in the 2024 offseason and if Brian Daboll and Joe Schoen are given another year, they’ll want an established starter. The same can be said for Tom Telesco and the las Vegas Raiders, though they may have a longer time horizon on desperation with Tom Brady stepping into an organizational role.

The $95 million guaranteed would eventually put him over $400 million for his career, and into at least third place on the career earning list behind Rodgers and Stafford. Cousins is nipping at his heels at the moment.

It’s clear he is going to have suitors this offseason and will cash in.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nfl...6b389aba&ei=49

If they go this way, I won't be upset about it.

But I think the most likely outcome is that they're going to resign Wilson.

[papillon]

What if the Steelers limp home and lose the 3 of the last 4 games or all of them (which, imo is possible)? Maybe, they win a playoff game and then get beat in the divisional round. Is a year older Wilson worth much or do you just move on and have the growing pains with Fields? The next 3 games may determine how Wilson gets paid or doesn't. Winning this weekend isn't going to be easy or guaranteed, the Chiefs with or without Mahommes are better on offense and at least as good defensively, hopefully, the Bengals are out of the playoff picture by the time we play that game.

My point is that I believe the Steelers need to look like a legitimate contender to pay Wilson big money and limping down the stretch isn't looking like a contender. 0-1 and looking terrible, so far.

Pappy

[hawaiiansteel]

Steelers Russell Wilson Takes Blame for Mistakes vs Ravens & Makes Super Bowl Remark: "Nobody Quit"

[Captain Lemming]

YES!!! The Giants screwed up paying Jones and letting Barkley go. Why wouldn’t they throw money at Russ to try and win back the fans?

Teams like the Jets and Giants need a buzz.

Rodgers was trash in GB his last year and a coach killer and the Jets still went after him, let him miss camp and got another HC fired.

These are the teams who make these types of moves Cap.

Inot about if WE would make that move. If I was the Giants GM I would’ve never paid Jones, I would’ve gave Russ the starting gig and I would’ve gave Barkley like $20 Mill to show how paying an elite RB’s big money doesn’t kill your cap.. lol!!!

Kill your “CAP?”
Dont like how you said that.

[Eich]

Steelers Russell Wilson Takes Blame for Mistakes vs Ravens & Makes Super Bowl Remark: "Nobody Quit"

I like that he takes the blame. He's a good dude. And he's right, his mistakes were the major reasons for the loss.

On his run, that was one of the worst attempts at juking the defender I've seen. It looked like he ran right towards the defender.

[WindyCitySteel]

What if the Steelers limp home and lose the 3 of the last 4 games or all of them (which, imo is possible)? Maybe, they win a playoff game and then get beat in the divisional round. Is a year older Wilson worth much or do you just move on and have the growing pains with Fields? The next 3 games may determine how Wilson gets paid or doesn't. Winning this weekend isn't going to be easy or guaranteed, the Chiefs with or without Mahommes are better on offense and at least as good defensively, hopefully, the Bengals are out of the playoff picture by the time we play that game.

My point is that I believe the Steelers need to look like a legitimate contender to pay Wilson big money and limping down the stretch isn't looking like a contender. 0-1 and looking terrible, so far.

Pappy

If they were to choose Fields over Wilson, one would hope they’re seeing things on the practice field since he’s been benched. Hopefully he’s learning from Wilson.

I like that’s staying positive and engaged, but don’t see this happening unless they spiral out of control. Russ will likely be back barring a bad game in a one and one playoff loss.

https://x.com/Alex_Kozora/status/1869531512024224033

[hawaiiansteel]

From where we sit now, if the ceiling is simply “being competitive in a playoff game”, this season was an abject failure.

Pfft.

Vegas had the Steelers over/under win total at only 8.5 games for this season.