It wasn’t long ago that quarterback Russell Wilson seemed like a near-lock to return for a second season with the Pittsburgh Steelers. After all, not long after getting the ball following his injury, Wilson was a clear upgrade for Pittsburgh.

However, the wheels have come off the Steelers’ wagon over the final four weeks of the year, with the team losing four games in a row entering the playoffs and Wilson not looking as impressive as he once did.

Chalk it up to whatever you want, whether that be Wilson hitting a wall, Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, a lack of weapons, or some combination of all three, but Pittsburgh now has to think long and hard about keeping Wilson in 2025.

When the subject of keeping Wilson was brought up on ESPN’s “Get Up” recently, NFL insider Dan Graziano thinks there’s a real chance the veteran signal-caller isn’t brought back, especially if the Steelers don’t beat the Baltimore Ravens this week.

“I mean, look, there’s nothing really compelling them to bring him back,” Graziano said. “He’s on a one-year minimum salary deal. There was never any commitment beyond this year and if what happens at the end is they fall apart because he started playing poorly then they’ll just go find whatever next year’s Russell Wilson type solution is.

“I think he’s a guy they liked, but I don’t think there is any sure thing to be back there at all especially if they’re one and done in the playoffs,” Graziano concluded.

If the Steelers were to part with Wilson, one would assume they’d be looking for another quick fix. Respected former reporter Peter King thinks Aaron Rodgers could be someone Pittsburgh looks at if the New York Jets cut him loose.

“If I were the Pittsburgh Steelers, knowing that I’ve got Cam Heyward, T.J. Watt, I got guys on defense with their expiration dates not long in the future, I would want to come in and try to get a quarterback who could make me competitive with Baltimore and Cincinnati in 2025. And that guy, to me, would be Aaron Rodgers,” King said on the Let’s Go Show on Tuesday.

Rodgers’ tenure with the Jets was a total disaster, and the future Hall of Famer did not play well this season. But we could totally see the win-now Steelers going that route if Wilson isn’t retained.