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Did Steelers Make Russell Wilson Mistake?

Originally posted on Pittsburgh Steelers on SI
By Ari Meyer | Last updated Sep 15, 2025 9:00 AM ET

The Pittsburgh Steelers have an everything problem.

The Pittsburgh Steelers fell to the Seattle Seahawks in a game that could mostly be described as a collection of errors by the Steelers and the Seahawks summarily taking advantage.

One of the issues the Steelers had was on the offensive side of the ball in the passing game, as Aaron Rodgers seemed to not be on the same page with his receivers for much of the game. There was also multiple drops by his receivers, including one by Calvin Austin III that was collected in mid-air for an interception.

Rodgers finished the day with 203 passing yards on 18-of-33 passing. He passed for one touchdown and two interceptions in the Steelers’ 14 point loss.

To contrast, the New York Giants also lost this week. That being said, their game was a shootout that came down to overtime, and the Cowboys hit a field goal as time expired to win. On the offensive side of the ball for the Giants, new quarterback Russell Wilson put on an offensive masterclass, beating his personal record in passing yards. With 454 passing yards, Wilson put on a show despite their eventual loss.

With 3 touchdowns to one interception, the contrast betwen the old guard and the new offense in Pittsburgh was stark. The Steelers had one of the listless offensive performances that they have come to be known for since the departure of their franchise quarterback Ben Roethlisberger in 2021.

It seems clear that the Steelers would have been able to retain Wilson for the coming season despite his shortcomings as the season winded down, so it begs the question of why they did not.

It became more confusing when the Steelers went from one of the older quarterbacks in the league to the absolute oldest player in the league, with both quarterbacks having similar skillsets. The Steelers could have had Wilson, for probably a similar amount of cash. If the Steelers continue their current trend, Wilson will make them regret their personnel decision. That being said, it is quite early into the season and it is not clear which quarterback will end up finishing better at this point.

This article first appeared on Pittsburgh Steelers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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