'I hope I'm here': Free agent quarterback Russell Wilson open to returning to Steelers

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BALTIMORE — Russell Wilson is a man who loves to talk about moments, and the Pittsburgh Steelers signed the Super Bowl champion quarterback for ones like their AFC wild card game.

When it came time to be the man of the moment, Wilson and the Steelers came up short in a 28-14 loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Saturday night at M&T Bank Stadium and were eliminated from the playoffs.

Wilson completed 20 of 29 passes for 270 yards and two touchdowns, with 226 yards and both scores coming in the second half as the Steelers attempted to rally from a three-touchdown halftime deficit. Wilson had three carries for 6 yards and was sacked four times for minus-19 yards.

“It was like our play — wasn’t good enough,” Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said of Wilson’s performance. “I just love the spirit in which he continued to fight, the way he led the group out of the locker room after the half. But, certainly, none of us were good enough tonight.”

Tomlin credited Wilson for not giving up under duress, especially when backed up against the end zone. On third-and-9 from the Pittsburgh 3, Wilson completed a 25-yard pass over the middle to Calvin Austin. It was the first of three big third-down passes on a nine-play, 98-yard scoring drive. Wilson found Mike Williams along the left sideline for a 37-yard pass and connected with Van Jefferson on a moonball for a 30-yard touchdown to cut it to 21-7.

Later in the third quarter, Wilson threw a 36-yard touchdown pass to George Pickens that cut it to 28-14. But on a third-and-8 at the Steelers’ 44, Wilson was sacked by Ravens defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike for an 8-yard loss to end the third quarter and force a punt. Wilson was sacked again late in the fourth quarter by Odafe Oweh, pushing the Steelers into a third-and-22 at midfield.

As usual, Wilson radiated positivity, even in defeat.

“Anytime you’re seeking something we’re seeking, to win a Super Bowl here and everything else, there’s always highs and lows,” Wilson said. “More importantly, I believe in the guys that we have. It’s been challenging. We’ve had a lot of ups and we’ve had a good amount of downs, too. But I think that we came into this game believing we could win it. Unfortunately, they made significantly more plays than we did. So that’s the disappointing part. But the best part of the game is that guys didn’t give up. In the National Football League, sometimes guys check out. And they didn’t. We didn’t. We gave it our all. We continued to fight, continued to swing. That’s why I love the guys on this team.”

A nine-time Pro Bowl pick with the Seattle Seahawks who led them to the Super Bowl XLVIII championship, Wilson spent two tumultuous seasons in Denver before signing a one-year contract with the Steelers.

The 36-year-old Wilson won six of his first seven starts with the Steelers before they lost their final four games of the regular season and the wild-card game. In 12 starts, including the playoffs, he completed 64.1% of his passes, averaged 229.3 yards a game and threw 18 touchdowns and five interceptions.

The Steelers only paid $1.21 million of his $39 million salary this season. Where Wilson is expected to command a significant contract in free agency, he expressed hope to return to the Steelers next season.

“The Pittsburgh Steelers organization, it’s been such a blessing to be here,” Wilson said. “The guys we have, the organization is truly first class. I love the city, obviously, and what it means — not just to me and (wife) Ciara and our family but just the National Football League. It’s a special place with special guys. We have a special coach in Coach Tomlin, a special organization, special people, special players, a special fan base. It’s been truly a blessing in my life. It’s been one of the best years for me personally to be a Pittsburgh Steeler.

“Obviously, I hope I’m here and everything else. I trust God in whatever that is. It’s a special, special place and I know God brought me here for a reason. He gave me so much joy in being here, just being around the guys we’re around. I love black and gold and what it means to me.”

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