The marriage between Russell Wilson and the Pittsburgh Steelers could be coming to a bitter end. Just two months ago, it was believed that Pittsburgh would agree to terms with one of their two in-house quarterbacks — Wilson or Justin Fields — ahead of NFL free agency. Now, it appears the Steelers will have a new signal-caller during the 2025 season.
Fields is now with the New York Jets, and Wilson is meeting with two teams this week, neither of which is the Steelers.
Wilson and fellow Super Bowl champion Aaron Rodgers are two of the top teamless quarterbacks remaining in free agency. Rodgers has been linked to the Steelers and could very well end up taking Wilson’s place in the near future.
Russell Wilson Schedules Free Agency Visits with Cleveland Browns, New York Giants
Wilson is testing the free agency waters as Pittsburgh continues its highly-publicized courtship of Rodgers.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Wilson will meet with two teams this week.
Sources: Free-agent QB Russell Wilson is scheduled to fly tonight to Cleveland to visit with the Browns on Thursday, before being scheduled to fly to New York on Thursday night to visit Friday with the Giants. pic.twitter.com/5mKkcqV4ja
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 12, 2025
“Free-agent QB Russell Wilson is scheduled to fly tonight to Cleveland to visit with the Browns on Thursday, before being scheduled to fly to New York on Thursday night to visit Friday with the Giants,” Schefter reported on X.
The Browns and Giants suffered devastating seasons in 2024, as both finished 3-14 — tied with the Tennessee Titans for the worst record in the league.
Cleveland has the No. 2 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, while New York has the No. 3 selection.
Wilson Taking NFL Free Agency Visits to Determine Best Fit
This isn’t the first time Wilson has taken free agency visits before deciding on a destination. Wilson visited with the Giants before signing with Pittsburgh in 2023 free agency.
“What he’s gonna do, for the second year in a row, is take some visits,” Ian Rapoport said on NFL Network today. “Take some time, try to see the right fit, try to see the right situation … [Cleveland] does have some opportunity there, potentially to add to the quarterback room to be a starter.”
From Free Agency Frenzy: Former #Steelers starting QB Russell Wilson is set to take visits, as he'll head to the #Browns and #Giants this week. pic.twitter.com/SroRkAfrgA
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 12, 2025
The Browns agreed to trade for former Steelers first-round pick Kenny Pickett this week but are still in the market for a veteran, with starter Deshaun Watson sidelined for the foreseeable future with a torn Achilles.
With both Pittsburgh and New York pursuing Rodgers, Wilson could be left to wait to see where Rodgers lands before making his decision.
Wilson Has Strained Relationship with Pittsburgh Steelers
If not immediately re-signing with the Steelers didn’t make it obvious enough, Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer says Pittsburgh and Wilson aren’t on the best terms.
“I would just say there are some people that aren’t keen on the idea of having Russell Wilson back there next year,” Breer said on the March 11 episode of “The Rich Eisen Show.” “Could they do it? Yes. Could those fences be mended? Yes.
“There’s just some stuff that happened at the end of the year where I don’t know how the Steelers are going to put their belief in that. … I’m not sure that relationship is in the best place, and has been in the best place.”
Last season, Wilson was the NFL’s 17th-best quarterback with a grade of 75.3 (C), according to PFSN’s QB+ metric. However, he really struggled over the final month of the season, ranking 29th over the final four games of the regular season.
The Steelers’ late-season collapse may have contributed to the strained relationship between Wilson and the organization. He finished the year with a -0.00 EPA/DB (23rd) and ranked outside the top 20 both from a clean pocket (0.23 EPA/DB) and when pressured (-0.38 EPA/DB). Wilson struggled in the fourth quarter of close games (28th) and had just a 38.8% conversion rate on third down (17th).
Meanwhile, Rodgers ranked 21st with a 72.2 (C-) grade. On the season, Rodgers had a -0.02 EPA/DB (27th), ranked 36th from a clean pocket (0.07 EPA/DB), and converted just 33.5% of the time on third down (29th).
Round and round Wilson and Rodgers go, where they’ll stop, nobody knows.