It comes as no surprise, but Pittsburgh Steelers general manager Omar Khan told reporters today that he will continue the precedent set by the Steelers front office and not negotiate contracts with players during the season. The Athletic’s Mike DeFabo tweeted the news today after Khan finished meeting with the media at the NFL’s annual owners meetings in Orlando.
It’s been an unwritten rule that the Steelers don’t negotiate contracts during the season, instead focusing on what’s at hand and the current season. This year, it’s a little bit more notable because the Steelers have their top two quarterbacks, Russell Wilson and Justin Fields, likely on one-year deals. Wilson is on a one-year deal, but I say likely because the team hasn’t made a decision yet on Fields’ fifth-year option, which would amount to $25.6 million for the 2025 season. Given the amount and the fact that Fields is expected to be a backup this season, it’s an option that the Steelers will likely decline.
What that means is that if the Steelers have any plans to sign Fields to a bridge contract, it will happen this offseason. A deal with Wilson wasn’t expected to come until after the 2024 season anyway, and so the pressure will be on Wilson to perform and show that he’s worthy of a second contract in Pittsburgh, especially with Fields behind him.
It’s going to make for an interesting 2025 offseason either way. If Wilson plays well enough that the team wants to bring him back, the question will become just how much money he wants and whether the Steelers are willing to pony up, knowing that they potentially have Fields as an option. If Wilson struggles, then you have to wonder what they’d be willing to pay Fields as a starter and I think that would depend on how much he sees the field in 2023.
Khan not breaking from precedent isn’t a surprise, especially because this upcoming season will be his third running the Steelers in-season, as he took over for Kevin Colbert following the 2022 draft. But it’s noteworthy that he said that he won’t do so, and it’s going to be something to pay attention to this season more than most just because the play from Wilson and Fields this season will likely do a lot in determining their future contract value and the future at quarterback for the Steelers.
