The Pittsburgh Steelers have three quarterbacks under contract for the 2024 season, including Russell Wilson and Justin Fields. They have precisely zero quarterbacks under contract for 2025, but Gerry Dulac believes that will change in the coming months.
“What they will do is, I think you will see them give [Justin Fields] a contract extension of at least two years to keep him around”, he told Steve Jones on the conveniently-named Steve Jones Show yesterday. “They didn’t bring him around for a one-year trial. And with Russell Wilson, the idea, both from Russell Wilson’s part and the Steelers’ part, is that they will sign him to a longer contract after the season”.
Dulac has previously said that they plan to sign Russell Wilson to a new contract after the season, barring disaster. However, this is the most decisive comment he has made regarding Fields’ future. A few weeks ago, he merely said he “wouldn’t be surprised” if they got something done with Fields.
He’s still saying thinks like “I think”, granted, but there’s a difference between intentions and actions. It takes two parties to complete a contract, and Justin Fields hasn’t been on the grass yet. If he were, say, to claim the starting job, he may reconsider the advantage of signing an extension now.
“I think you’re going to see both of those guys see some kind of deal. And I think with Justin Fields, it might even happen before the season starts, get that contract extension to lock him up to make sure there’s no free agency departure next year”, Dulac added. “That is certainly the intent”.
Last month, the Steelers acquired Fields from the Chicago Bears in exchange for a conditional 2025 sixth-round pick. If the former 11th-overall selection played more than 50 percent of the team’s offensive snaps, the pick turns into a fourth-rounder.
Head coach Mike Tomlin has said that Russell Wilson is in “pole position” as QB1 during the offseason. However, he also left the door open for Fields to compete for the starting job when the time is right. How that materializes in training camp, I have no idea. Opinions vary drastically on that topic, quite frankly.
The Steelers initially planned only to add Wilson, and to have him compete with Kenny Pickett—or start over him. They pursued Fields after Pickett requested a trade, and that is how we got where we are today. Kyle Allen rounds out the quarterback trio, all of whom have expiring contracts in 2025.
Wilson, 35, has a borderline Hall of Fame resume whose career is at a crossroads. He hopes to rejuvenate his reputation in Pittsburgh, as does Fields, and to embark on the true start of his career. Over three years in Chicago, he owns a 10-28 record, but has shown phenomenal physical talent.
The reality is the Steelers made these moves because of the low risk more than for the high upside. But that doesn’t mean they don’t see a future in here worth pursuing. “Both of those acquisitions, they’re not one-year rentals”, Dulac said. “They’re planning on going forward with these guys unless Russell Wilson would just bomb out and show he has nothing left”.
And if Wilson does bomb out, the Steelers want to have at least Fields under contract beyond this season. They don’t plan to pick up his rather expensive fifth-year option, which would be for 2025, so an extension is the next logical move. The Baltimore Ravens similarly bypassed WR Rashod Bateman’s fifth-year option with a two-year extension instead.
