The Pittsburgh Steelers completed another trade on Saturday and once again it included a quarterback. This time the Steelers made a deal with the Chicago Bears for QB Justin Fields and they only needed to give up a 2025 conditional sixth-round draft pick to get him. On the heels of that deal, let’s look at the salary cap repercussions.
Fields, who was selected 11th overall in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft out of Ohio State, is scheduled to earn a base salary of $1,616,724 in 2024. He is also due a roster bonus later this summer in the same amount. This now means that his 2024 salary cap charge with the Steelers should be $3,233,448.
By acquiring Fields, the Steelers now own the rights to his fifth-year option for 2025 as well. The decision on that needs to be made by May 2. It’s unlikely that the Steelers will pick up Fields’ fifth-year option due to the price tag that comes along with that. That price tag would be $25.664 million if picked up and it would be fully guaranteed as well.
If the fifth-year option on Fields is not exercised, Fields would then be on track to become an unrestricted free agent next offseason.
While the Steelers aren’t likely to pick up Fields’ fifth-year option, they could still try to negotiate some sort of an extension with him at some point during the remainder of the offseason. Such an extension would likely have to include a very modest average per year number with a low percentage of guaranteed money included.
So, when it comes to Fields and his contractual status for the remainder of this offseason, a modest extension might be the thing to be on the lookout for more than anything else.
