Russell Wilson, 36, wants to stay with the Pittsburgh Steelers

PITTSBURGH – Russell Wilson is expected to become a free agent this offseason, but the veteran quarterback said he wants to stay with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

“That’s the plan,” Wilson said Monday while cleaning the team’s locker room. “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 still a lot of work to be done.”

Wilson, however, clarified that he did not meet with the Steelers to explicitly discuss his future.

“I think they know I always wanted to be here and play here, but it’s also a process,” Wilson said when asked if the Steelers reciprocated his desire to return. “We haven’t had those meetings yet, so we’ll have them and go from there.”

Wilson, 36, signed a one-year contract worth $1.2 million with the Steelers a year ago after his release from the Denver Broncos. He was limited for much of training camp and missed the first six games of the season with a nagging calf injury. He returned to lead the Steelers to six wins in his first seven starts, but Wilson and the Steelers faltered down the stretch, losing their final five games.

After racking up 28 points and 372 yards of offense in Wilson’s first seven starts, the Steelers have averaged just 14 points and 263 yards in their last five losses. Wilson finished his 13th NFL season throwing for 2,482 yards with 16 touchdowns, five interceptions and 33 sacks.

“I thought I played well,” Wilson said. “There are times where I wish I played a little better. I feel like I had two games 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 games in particular, I competed and gave it my all. Obviously, I felt like we didn’t play well enough when we needed to as a team. team. I hated missing those first six games. I don’t really miss games like that and it was a little disappointing, but I like the way the guys played.”

Earlier this season, Wilson told ESPN’s Hannah Storm in an interview that he wanted to play another 5-7 years. When asked if he still has that goal and if he plans to prioritize the length of a contract or if he’s shopping around for the best deal, Wilson reaffirmed his desire to continue playing.

“My goal has always been to play as long as possible,” he said. “I’ve been saying that since I was a rookie. That’s always been my kind of thought process. I feel good physically, mentally and emotionally.

“If you want to play 20-plus, you have 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 do just trust the process and I trust that we will have these conversations when the time comes.

Wilson wasn’t the only player who said he wanted to remain a Steeler on Monday. Edge rusher TJ Watt, who with one year remaining on his contract is eligible for an extension this summer, also expressed his desire to stay with the organization that drafted him 30th overall in 2017.

“I want to be at the Pittsburgh Steeler,” Watt said. “You guys know that. I don’t want to leave this place, especially in this context – I want to be part of the solution. I’ve invested so much in it here. I’ve seen so many guys. I mean. I want help Cam Heyward get to where we need to get.

“I want to be part of the solution. I don’t want to leave this place. I love the people here. And it goes beyond the coaches, it’s the fan base, it’s the people, the community, and we have to It’s up to them to get it right. And I want to be part of the solution, not leave here and go somewhere else.

Watt also expressed frustration with the lack of recent playoff success – and the way the season ended over the last five games.

“It’s tough,” Watt said. “We’re sitting here at the same time as last year, at the same time that I was in this scrimmage and the same questions, and I have the same answers. Obviously, I’m very frustrated with the way things have turned out. finished, and it’s not just with the last game, it’s the last month of football.

“It’s a set of things, and it starts with myself, and I have to play better. We have to play better. There’s nothing to fix here. There’s a lot of things, but it starts internally with myself and I need to play better in the big moments and it’s going to be a long offseason to have to sit with that.”