Former All-Pro warns Pittsburgh Steelers about Russell Wilson’s future

Russell Wilson is in the midst of a resurgence with the Pittsburgh Steelers, leading the team to a 6-1 record as the starting quarterback this season with 1,784 yards, 12 touchdowns and three interceptions.

He’s expected to hit free agency after the campaign ends, and while he currently feels like he can’t return to the Steel City, former All-Pro and Super Bowl-winning offensive tackle Andrew Whitworth warned Pittsburgh against it , overpaying him when the time comes.

“But what does this number do to us?” Whitworth said on What the football Podcast with Suzy Shuster and Amy Trask. “Is that Russell Wilson number comparable to something we’ve seen between Baker Mayfield and the top guys’ salaries? Or is she comparable to the top guys?”

“If you can keep up with the top guys, I think you have to keep going. I don’t think they can handicap their football team that way, and I don’t think the Pittsburgh Steelers are really built that way.”

Although Wilson was once the NFL’s highest-paid player in 2019 as a member of the Seattle Seahawks before agreeing to a $245 million contract with the Denver Broncos in 2022, he won’t reach the same heights with his next contract.

At 36, Wilson is expected to sign a three- or four-year deal with an average annual value of around $30 million.

The Dallas Cowboys’ Dak Prescott hit the market in September with a contract that pays him $60 million per year, while three other quarterbacks make $55 million per season. There simply isn’t a world in which Wilson sniffs around those numbers, so Whitworth’s concerns about his price don’t matter in that regard.

The Mayfield comparison is interesting, however, because it sets a plan that both the Steelers and Wilson could follow in potential negotiations.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers signalman put pen to paper on a three-year, $100 million contract last March after signing a low-risk, one-year deal with the team through the 2023 season and leading them to both NFC South Division titles and a playoff victory .

Mayfield was guaranteed $50 million of that money, with incentives that could increase the contract’s total value to a maximum of $115 million.

While Whitworth’s comments are only meant in the sense that Pittsburgh needs to remain aware of its other roster needs outside of the quarterback position, Wilson’s next deal should come at good value as the salary cap continues to rise. The Steelers have looked like a different team since he took over as the starter, and they can’t let him go anywhere else this offseason.

Be sure to bookmark Steelers On SI for all your daily Pittsburgh Steelers news, interviews, breakdowns and more!