The Pittsburgh Steelers added two quarterbacks in very different stages of their careers with a lot to prove. Russell Wilson is looking to recover from a two-year stint with the Denver Broncos that tarnished some of his legacy, and Justin Fields was castaway from the Chicago Bears after being selected in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft and starting for three seasons. Wilson may be in “pole position” to win the job, but Fields has a lot of pressure on him to compete.
“Justin Fields is still a guy that’s still developing, is trying to work towards that second contract,” Damien Woody said on ESPN’s Get Up Thursday morning. “To me, he can’t afford to be the backup quarterback. He has to assert himself and win this job now.
“And he’s in a great position to do that. With Arthur Smith as the offensive coordinator, his skill set I liken it to Ryan Tannehill and the different dimension that he could bring to the Pittsburgh Steelers I think would be fascinating. So I think he just really needs to assert himself and win this job, ’cause time is a ticking for Justin Fields.”
He is definitely in an awkward position entering the 2024 season. With his fifth-year option declined, Fields could conceivably spend the whole season on the bench and then enter the offseason as an unrestricted free agent with a gap year on his resume.
Keep in mind he only fetched a conditional 2025 sixth-round pick in a trade and there was plenty of quarterback shuffling that went on this offseason around the league. If someone believed in Fields, they wouldn’t have had to give up much to make him their starter. His market doesn’t figure to be any better next offseason if he doesn’t start at any point during the 2024 season.
There is not a great track record for players who start multiple seasons that end up as a backup to have a career resurgence later on. Geno Smith is one notable example, but he is the exception not the rule. There is always new talent entering the league and only 32 starting jobs in the NFL. Even if a player develops during their time as a backup, there is no telling when the next starting opportunity may come.
This is part of the reason why it might make sense for Fields and the Steelers to work out a contract extension closer to the start of the season if it becomes apparent that Wilson has won the starting job. It would ensure Fields has a job in 2025 on a team that will once again have a lot of questions at the quarterback position. He could likely get a little extra money now than if he waits until next offseason with potentially very little to show for the 2024 season. It carries some risk though, as there is always the chance Wilson gets hurt or loses the job later on in the season.
Fields said he definitely doesn’t have the mindset of sitting on the bench all year. He did want to come to the Steelers in the first place with Wilson already on the roster and all of the above things likely already considered with his agent. How the quarterback competition and contracts are handled over the next 10 months leading into next year’s free agency period will be fascinating—and critical to the future of the franchise.
