PITTSBURGH — "That's the plan," Russell Wilson said Monday at UPMC Rooney Sports Complex for Steelers' locker clean out day when asked about returning to the team in 2025.

I get that. I just don't agree with it.

Plans change. Context matters. And so should goals loftier than 10 wins, making the playoffs and getting crushed. Bringing Wilson back is the safe bet, the predictable move, and I wish the Steelers would think about this situation differently.

My move would be to sign Justin Fields for two or three years, realizing it would probably have to be the latter, and wish Wilson well. By taking the gamble, I'd expect one of two outcomes. And both would be acceptable:

A) Fields shows his 2024 step back was beneficial, his consistency and accuracy finally catching up to his arm talent or ...

B) Fields stinks, the Steelers stink, and everything blows up. That begets an admittance of failure, a rebuild, a top-10 draft pick and hopefully a real, live franchise quarterback. You know, like what preceded Ben Roethlisberger.

I'm also not sure there's a middle ground here, and that's why I love it.

In or out. Pick a direction.

None of this is to say Wilson is a bad quarterback. He showed as much this season, throwing for 270 yards and two scores to give the Steelers some hope Saturday while posting a season passer rating (95.6) that was reasonably close to what he's done throughout a nine-time Pro Bowl career (99.8).

"I love it here," Wilson said Monday. "I think we have a great football team. Obviously it didn't end the way we wanted it to. I think there's a lot more to do."

Wilson also described that process as "recalibrating" more than replacing any "missing pieces."

" 'Missing' is the wrong word," Wilson said. "We've got to recalibrate and get sharper on a couple things here and there and continue to grow, continue to evolve."

No matter who winds up taking snaps, the Steelers must add another wide receiver or two and install a backfield complement next to Jaylen Warren.

Troy Fautanu also talked Monday and spoke passionately about wanting to get back to normalcy after injuries disrupted his rookie season. It'll be imperative to get Fautanu at right tackle and set Broderick Jones on the left.

But before the Steelers do any of that, they should take note of the NFL playoffs and the current trends surrounding quarterback play.

The remaining nine guys (with the Rams and Vikings set to meet Monday night) are all first-round picks other than Philadelphia's Jalen Hurts, who was taken 53rd overall. Average pick number: 12.

Among that group, the average age is just 27.9, with two guys — Matthew Stafford (36) and Jared Goff (30) having turned 30. The other seven are extremely mobile, from the pocket hopping and creativity of someone like two-time NFL MVP Patrick Mahomes to the blazing brilliance of Lamar Jackson, the other two-time MVP.

Josh Allen could win his first MVP carrying a heavy load for the Bills. Minnesota's Sam Darnold is having a career-defining season. Washington's Jayden Daniels is a treat to watch, Lamar Jr. in a way, and I'm not punting on Houston's C.J. Stroud, who didn't have a great sophomore season but still has the tools to be really good.

I don't care as much about Wilson's draft position (75th) considering he's won a Super Bowl and will one day be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The bigger point is Fields better fits the mold of a modern-day NFL quarterback — if coached and coordinated correctly — and could offer the Steelers a dual-threat weapon more in line with those on this list.

Another common thread sewn through this group involves height. The average height of those still standing is 6-foot-3, while Hurts (6-foot-1) is the only one below 6-foot-2.

Wilson is generously listed at 5-foot-11. Fields is 6-foot-3. And again, it's not so much about doubting Wilson — he proved those people wrong long ago — as it is realizing where the NFL is headed and hedging a $25 million or $30 million bet that you can do things differently.

Whether it's because of his height or not, Wilson doesn't use the middle of the field much. He throws a pretty deep ball, checks down a bunch and moves better than you might expect for a 36-year-old with 216 starts (regular season and playoffs) on his ledger.

There's also something to be said for the experience Wilson brings, his leadership and how he goes about his job each day. It's highly respectable. He seems to be a good, caring person. But it's not the right move for the Steelers, who could really stand to take a risk or two in several facets.

The difference between Wilson and Fields on the field also isn't as drastic as you might think.

In his six starts, Fields went 4-2 and averaged 222.8 combined passing and rushing yards per game. Wilson was 6-6 (after a 6-1 start) and averaged 242.8 combined yards per contest.

They averaged the same number of total touchdowns (1.67), while Wilson (.75) had a higher turnover rate than Fields (.33). If you want to compare passer ratings, Fields was at 93.9 compared to Wilson's aforementioned mark of 95.6.

Is that difference in performance — if there is one — really worth the disparity in dollars the Steelers would have to pay Wilson versus Fields? I don't think so.

The Steelers should also not cling to any sort of fake hope here. It's not going well, the playoff drought reaching eight years and the offense not improving nearly enough.

They could save the money they would've spent on Wilson and avoid committing two or maybe three (dear God, let's hope not) years to a guy who has produced a 92.2 passer rating over the past three seasons ... while simultaneously improving other areas of the team and planning for the future, one way or the other.

It's also why they probably won't do it, instead clinging to comfort and repeating this cycle while the younger and faster guys experience more playoff success.

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