Sometimes, the best questions come from the most unexpected of places. That was the case recently when Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson was asked about his future in Pittsburgh.
During the latest “Hard Knocks” episode, the cameras captured Wilson signing autographs during the opening of a Why Not You Foundation center in Pittsburgh.
“Are you gonna re-sign?” a young fan asked Wilson, who showed his media savvy by asking the autograph seeker a question in response.
The young fan, though, was determined to get an answer to his question.
“Are you gonna re-sign,” the fan asked again, and this time, Wilson gave him an answer.
“Hopefully. I love it here,” said Wilson, who is slated to become a free agent this offseason. “It’s cool. Hope we can win a Super Bowl.”
Wilson’s answer shouldn’t be too much of a surprise. Wilson chose to come to Pittsburgh this offseason, after all, after he and the Broncos agreed to part ways after two seasons. Wilson’s decision has paid dividends for both himself and the Steelers, who are 10-4 and in first place of the AFC North entering Saturday’s big showdown with division rival Baltimore.
Pittsburgh has already clinched a berth in the AFC playoffs, and Wilson is a big reason why. After being sidelined earlier this year with calf issues, Wilson has looked like the player that was named to nine Pro Bowls in Seattle. He’s completing nearly 65% of his throws with 13 touchdowns against just nine picks. More importantly, Wilson is 6-2 as Pittsburgh’s starting quarterback after the Steelers went 4-2 with Justin Fields under center during the season’s first six games.
At this point, what Wilson will ask for from a contractual standpoint remains to be seen. One can assume, based on how much Wilson has already made in his career along with his desire to win another Super Bowl before retiring, that Wilson will be reasonable when it comes to his contract requests.
One thing that can be said with certainty is that Wilson’s time in Pittsburgh has been a success so far. Along with providing Hall of Fame level quarterback play, Wilson’s intangibles have also been embraced by his teammates in Pittsburgh.
“We need that,” Steelers running back Najee Harris recently said of Wilson’s leadership and overall impact. “The times I’ve been here, other than Ben (Roethlisberger), we’ve had younger quarterbacks with not a lot of experience. That’s one thing that Russ has, just his knowledge. … We need that veteran guy, and that’s Russ.”
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