There’s no denying the fact that Russell Wilson had a monster game yesterday in the win over Cincinnati. 414 yards and three TDs is a damn good day at the office. It was in fact, one of his best games as a professional. Not surprisingly, there are already calls from the national Media and many in the fan base to bring Wilson back next year. Have we seen enough however to warrant paying a 36-year old tens of millions of dollars for 2-3 more seasons?
What Wilson did yesterday was impressive, but this was also the Cincinnati Bengals. They entered with one of the worst defenses in pro football and they were without inside linebacker Logan Wilson. This doesn’t take away what Russell Wilson did Sunday, but context is important.
If Wilson can put up similar numbers over the final five weeks then he’ll have my vote for sure. The problem is that he’s going to face really good defenses from Cleveland, Philadelphia, Baltimore and Kansas City. Asking for the numbers he put up Sunday is a tad much, but multiple TDs and limited turnovers should do the trick.
Then there’s the issue of the postseason. If Wilson leads the Steelers there and he certainly should at this point, will getting there be enough? Pittsburgh hasn’t won a postseason game since January of 2017 and have lost five straight in the playoffs since then.
Wilson cannot do everything by himself and that too requires context. The defense still has to play well as does his line and the skill people around him. Should he deliver a postseason win then it likely becomes a no-brainer to bring him back. That leads of course to the cost.
My guess and I want to stress that this is a ‘guess’ based on similar QBs but I would think the Steelers would want a two-year deal. Wilson will likely want a three-year deal so that will probably be the first speed bump. The second will probably be money. I’m going to figure somewhere in the $33-$40 million range is what he will desire. Will the Steelers cough it up? It’s been some time since they’ve had to deal with big QB contracts so I’m curious as to how they will approach it given the new market.
All that said, this comes back to the next five weeks. Wilson’s play and the team’s success will go a long way towards determining his future.
