Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson will take free agent visits this week with the Cleveland Browns and New York Giants, according to reports from multiple national outlets. Wilson will visit with the Browns on Thursday and the Giants on Friday, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.
The Steelers have not had any discussions with Wilson on a new contract, according to report on Tuesday from the New York Post.
That has led Wilson to seek a new home elsewhere, and taking the step of scheduling visits — and allowing the scheduling of the visits to be publicized — which could be a step to put pressure on the Steelers to make a decision on their quarterback decision.
The Steelers started with Wilson as an apparent Plan B, with Justin Fields widely reported as their preference before the start of free agency. But the Steelers were unwilling to meet Fields’ asking price, and he signed with the New York Jets for $40 million with $30 million guaranteed over two seasons.
Instead of immediately pivoting to Wilson, the Steelers have began negotiations with former New York Jets cornerback Aaron Rodgers. Those negotiations have dragged on for three days, with the Steelers and Rodgers are apparently at an impasse on contract amount.
“If both sides were reasonable, it would have been done Tuesday,” Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk said on Wednesday. “The problem is there is a gap.”
Wilson visiting elsewhere could put some pressure on the Steelers to close that gap with Rodgers, or else face the idea of losing out on both veteran quarterbacks for the 2025 season.
There does not appear to be an obvious third option for Pittsburgh to pivot to at this point.