Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson became the team’s starter in Week 7, taking over for Justin Fields. Wilson led the Steelers to the NFL playoffs, but they finished the regular season with four straight losses. Now, with a rematch against the Baltimore Ravens in the Wild Card Round, let’s examine Wilson’s contract, salary, net worth, and career earnings.
Russell Wilson’s Contract and Salary
Wilson signed a one-year, $1.21 million contract with the Steelers last offseason. Why would Wilson sign such a bargain deal at a time when quarterback salaries are skyrocketing?
Well, because he’s still making $37.790 million from the Denver Broncos this season.
In 2022, shortly after acquiring Wilson in a trade with the Seattle Seahawks, Denver gave Wilson a five-year, $242.6 million extension.
This contract contained offset language, meaning his salary with a new team would be deducted from his remaining Broncos salary. As a result, the veteran quarterback was incentivized to sign the cheapest deal possible this past offseason.
This is why Wilson accepted a bargain contract that makes him one of the NFL’s lowest-paid quarterbacks in terms of annual salary (not counting the money he’s earning from Denver). His deal also contains a full no-trade clause.
Wilson’s salary with the Steelers ranks 64th among quarterbacks this season. In fact, he is the third-highest-paid quarterback on his team, as his salary is lower than Fields’ ($3,233,448) and Allen’s ($1,383,834).
For comparison, the Steelers are paying Wilson less than the salaries of Jacksonville Jaguars QB C.J. Beathard ($1,310,000), Baltimore Ravens QB Josh Johnson ($1,377,500), Minnesota Vikings QB Nick Mullens ($1,900,000), and San Francisco 49ers QB Brandon Allen ($2,020,000).
However, factoring in the money he’s being paid by both teams, Wilson is earning $39 million this year. While it’s possible that Wilson will remain with the Steelers, if he struggles in the playoffs after losing steam late in the regular season, Pittsburgh might decide to move on.
Will the Steelers Re-Sign Wilson This Offseason?
The Steelers could lose both Wilson and Fields this offseason, as both are pending free agents.
Fields’ base salary is $1,616,724 with a roster bonus of $1,616,724, so his cap hit for this season is $3,233,448. The Steelers declined his fifth-year option (which would have paid him $25,664,000), which means he’s wrapping up his rookie deal and could also walk after the season.
It remains to be seen what the Steelers will do when both of their quarterbacks hit the open market this offseason. Will they re-sign Wilson or Fields? Could they move on from both? Is there a world where both signal-callers are back in Pittsburgh?
One would think that Fields will want to find a starting job elsewhere if Wilson is back, and he will benefit from the fact that there aren’t many top QBs available in the draft (beyond Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders and Miami’s Cam Ward) and free agency (aside from Sam Darnold).
If the Steelers decide to part ways with the 36-year-old Wilson, could Fields get another shot as Pittsburgh’s starting QB?
It’ll be interesting to see how everything plays out with both quarterbacks this offseason.
This season, Wilson ranked 17th in PFN’s QB+ metric with a C rating and a 75.7 score. His poor play down the stretch didn’t help his grade. Fields, meanwhile, would rank 15th if he qualified, with a 78.1 grade.
Wilson’s Net Worth and Career Earnings
Wilson’s net worth is estimated to be $165 million. This number may seem high, but consider that Wilson has earned $305,362,520 throughout the course of his NFL career.
He has the fourth-highest career earnings in NFL history behind only Tom Brady ($332,962,392), Matthew Stafford ($364,306,037), and Aaron Rodgers ($380,658,010).
And the $305 million figure doesn’t even factor in Wilson’s endorsements or investments.
He has partnered with companies such as Amazon, Bose, Mercedes-Benz, Nike, Wilson Sporting Goods, Subway, Levi’s, Pepsi, Duracell, Larson Automotive Group, American Family Insurance, Microsoft, Alaska Air Group, United Way, and Braun, among others.
Wilson is also married to the musician Ciara, who has an impressive net worth of her own ($20 million). In July 2016, the power couple got married in England at Peckforton Castle. Celebrities like La La Anthony, Jennifer Hudson, and Kelly Rowland were in attendance.