Russell Wilson heads toward free agency but hopes not to change zip codes for a third time in three seasons.
After making 12 starts, including the playoffs, with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Wilson told reporters on Monday that he wants to return to the Steel City.
"That's the plan," Wilson said, . "I love it here and everything else, and I think we have a great football team. "Obviously it didn't end the way we wanted it to, and I think there's a lot more to do."
Wilson noted that he has yet to meet with team brass about potentially re-signing in Pittsburgh, but his feelings about the organization are clear.
"I think they've known that I've always wanted to be here and play here, but it is also a process," Wilson said when asked if the Steelers reciprocated his desire to return. "We haven't had those meetings yet, so we will have those and we'll go from there."
Wilson missed the first six games of the season while dealing with a calf injury. He helped jumpstart the Steelers offense, stretching the field vertically. However, once defenses caught up, Pittsburgh's operation floundered during the five-game losing streak to end the season. The Steelers scored 17 or fewer points in each of those five games, the longest such streak for the Steelers since Weeks 8-13, 1969 (six games).
Despite the ending, which included a blowout postseason loss to rival Baltimore, Wilson had a positive assessment of his play overall.
"I thought I played well," Wilson said. "There's moments I wish I played a little bit better. I feel like I had two plays that I wish I had back, just to be honest with you. The one in Kansas City and the one in the Ravens game. Other than that, those two plays in particular, I competed, and I gave it my all. Obviously felt like we didn't play good enough when we needed to as a team. I hated missing games. I hated missing those first six games. I don't really miss games like that and that kind of was disappointing, but I love how guys made plays."
The 36-year-old has no designs on retiring after 13 years, reiterating his desire to play until the wheels fall off.
"That's always been my plan is to play as long as possible," he said. "I've said that since I was a rookie. That's always been my kind of thought process. I feel great physically, mentally, emotionally.
"If you want to play 20-plus years, you got to love it, and I love the process. I love the mentality, and I love competing with my teammates, so that's always been the plan. And so, I just trust the process and trust that we will have those conversations when the time comes."
The entire Steelers quarterback room -- Wilson, Justin Fields and Kyle Allen -- is set to hit free agency this offseason. After a complete revamp of their QB crew in 2024, the question is whether they retool again or try to bring back one or more for another dance in 2025.
