Steelers news: T.J. Watt, Russell Wilson, Patrick Queen, Mike Tomlin & more

The Pittsburgh Steelers are still scraping themselves off the floor after their embarrassing playoff loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Wild Card Weekend. The defeat marked five straight playoff losses for Mike Tomlin as the head coach continues an eight-year drought without a postseason victory.

As fans and analysts put Mike Tomlin and the coaching staff under the microscope, disheartened players are cleaning out their gear after an early playoff exit. The media caught up with some notable players this week. Here's the latest Steelers news.

T.J. Watt has zero plans of leaving the Steelers

Two days after Pittsburgh's ugly playoff defeat against the Ravens, T.J. Watt faced the media and was met with a flurry of questions. Among them was a question surrounding his future with the team.

Watt didn't mince words when talking about why he will stay with the Steelers.

"I want to be a Pittsburgh Steeler, you guys know that," Watt told the media. "I don't want to leave this place. I want to be part of the solution..."

Watt is still under contract, but a player in his position often has leverage. The superstar made it clear he has zero intention of seeking a trade and he wants to be part of the solution to the postseason problem in Pittsburgh.

Russell Wilson wants to be back in Pittsburgh in 2025

Just like Watt made it clear that he doesn't want to leave the organization, quarterback Russell Wilson couldn't have been more precise about where he wants to be. When speaking to the media, Wilson said 'the plan' is to remain in Pittsburgh.

“Yeah, that’s the plan. I love it here and everything else," Wilson said, via Aaron Becker. "I think we have a great football team. Obviously, it didn’t end the way we wanted it to, and I think there’s a lot more to do.”

Unlike Watt, Wilson has an expiring contract and will become an unrestricted free agent this offseason. After Wilson made his intentions known, it will be up to the Steelers front office to decide whether they want to run it back with the 36-year-old quarterback in 2025 or look for other options.

In his lone season in Pittsburgh, Wilson led the Steelers to a 6-5 record while passing for 2,482 yards and chipping in 16 touchdowns with five interceptions. However, Pittsburgh lost their final five games to close the 2024 season, which isn't a great look for the veteran quarterback.

Patrick Queen played playoff game vs. Ravens while dealing with the flu

Two days after the Steelers' playoff loss, NFL Insider Ian Rapoport confirmed that linebacker Patrick Queen was battling a bad bout of the flu during the game. Queen reportedly received four bags of IV fluid before the game.

The flu bug picked a bad time to roll through Pittsburgh. In the week leading up to the game, All-Pro defensive lineman Cameron Heyward battled sickness before fellow All-Pro Chris Boswell missed practice while dealing with the flu. Queen was apparently the next victim of this nasty bug.

Despite playing through sickness, Queen managed to record 10 tackles and three pressures on 74 defensive snaps in the Wild Card loss in Baltimore.

Pat Freiermuth endorses Mike Tomlin

One thing as sure as death and taxes is players coming to the defense of Mike Tomlin. The Pittsburgh Steelers head coach has been under scrutiny after suffering his fifth straight playoff loss. But players wouldn't dream of passing the blame to Coach 'T'.

On Monday, starting tight end Pat Freiermuth gave a glowing endorsement for his head coach.

"Without Coach T, we wouldn't have been able to be in the playoffs, and we all love Coach T. He's a great leader, great coach," Freiermuth explained to the media.

There's no question players love playing for Tomlin, and Freiermuth made it clear that he has all the faith in the world in his head coach. A recent report from Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette states the Steelers don't plan to move on from Mike Tomlin.