Steelers' honeymoon period with Russell Wilson is all leading to a messy conclusion

The Pittsburgh Steelers are 7-2 on the season and are looking very much like a playoff team in the deep AFC. While I am not sure if they can get past the Kansas City Chiefs or even the Buffalo Bills in the postseason, they always have a chance because of the style in which they play. It is a defensive-minded football team that makes just enough plays on offense to keep opposing teams in check, and that will travel come January.

In Friday's post for The Athletic, Mike DeFabo was one of 12 team beat writers tasked with predicting who will be their team's quarterback for next season. He believes that it will be Russell Wilson again. This would make sense, as Wilson has run Arthur Smith's offense quite well since coming back from an early-season injury. But it's not going to be that simple, not least because he and his backup, Justin Fields, will be free agents next spring.

And that right there is the biggest issue at hand for the Steelers long term. Who will be their starting quarterback next year? Fields is a good decade younger than Wilson, but has yet to really tap into his once-lofty potential coming out of Ohio State. Wilson has played well so far this season, but he had a terrible tenure as the Denver Broncos quarterback previously after his time in Seattle.

DeFabo is of the belief that Wilson will command close to $40 million annually on his next contract, but is that a price Pittsburgh is willing to pay? Do they have another choice?

Pittsburgh Steelers are about to have to pay a quarterback a ton of cash

Omar Khan has to be careful with this. Picking the right quarterback between Wilson, Fields or someone else entirely will tell the tale of this team's fate. If the pieces fit around Wilson, then maybe go with him for one last shot at a Super Bowl before he truly falls off a cliff physically. Siding with Fields potentially gives you a longer runway, but there is a chance he proves to be the worse option.

In all honesty, I do not think the Steelers are in a favorable position to draft a quarterback. The last time they thought about doing it and went ahead with it, they ended up reaching on local product Kenny Pickett. He is now on his second team in three seasons as an NFL signal-caller. To me, the Steelers need to evaluate who they have in the building first before looking at other veteran options.

It is hard to say if the Steelers are really in win-now mode because they are always in win-now mode. I do think that this team will have a limited ceiling going forward unless they end up with a transcendent star at quarterback. Unfortunately, I do not think Fields will ever grow into that, nor do I think Wilson's best days are still ahead of him.

For the right price, it serves the Steelers to bring Wilson back on something like a three-year deal.