The Pittsburgh Steelers in Justin Fields and Russell Wilson acquired two veteran starting quarterbacks this offseason. Neither of them, however, are under contract beyond the current season, always a concern at the quarterback position. And Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette doesn’t see that changing.
Wilson has a rare contract situation following his release by the Denver Broncos. They are paying him the balance of $39 million after the Steelers gave him a Veteran Salary Benefit deal. As for Fields, the Steelers already declined his fifth-year option, but will they sign him to a cheaper extension?
“I don’t” think so, Fittipaldo said when asked that question on 93.7 The Fan yesterday with the PM Team. “In terms of quarterbacks, I just think they want to see how it plays out. I think that’s been what the plan was since March”.
It’s interesting because his Post-Gazette colleague, Gerry Dulac, is in the opposite camp. He has been the most vocal about the possibility that Fields signs an extension before the regular season begins. In fact, he has been talking about this for months, though he has never offered a definitive claim.
The 11th-overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, Justin Fields owns a career 10-28 record as a starter. He is 578-of-958 passing for 6,674 yards with 40 touchdowns to 30 interceptions. In that time, he has also rushed for 2,220 yards with 14 touchdowns. While there are a variety of reasons, including botched handoffs and snaps, he has 38 charged fumbles as well.
The Chicago Bears traded Fields to the Steelers for just a future conditional sixth-round pick. While other teams reportedly offered more, the figure indicates the perception of his potential around the NFL at this juncture.
Given his NFL resume, one can easily understand if the Steelers don’t want to commit more money to him. Likewise, one can understand why Fields, hoping to improve his stature, might not want to sign a contract extension now. But as a player, you certainly want your team to want to sign you to an extension.
“I don’t know if they do. You would want to find out if he could play, and there’s no guarantees”, Fittipaldo said of a Fields extension. “If Russell Wilson plays well and if Russell Wilson stays healthy, then you might not know. You might be locked into $13 million for 2025 and Russell Wilson is gonna want his money, too”.
“There’s no easy answer to this question”, he added, concluding the Steelers won’t extend Fields now. “I think in the end, they’re gonna see what goes down in 2024 and then they’ll work feverishly from the end of the season until the middle of March to try to figure out who they’re gonna pay and how much they’re gonna pay them”.
For what it’s worth, Fittipaldo is also among the pretty much unanimous constituency that doesn’t believe in a quarterback competition. He believes Russell Wilson is the starter and it would take a miracle for Justin Fields to change that.
So how much are you willing to sign a backup for? And how much is a backup who is trying to regain a starting job willing to settle for? I don’t know that I see the Pittsburgh Steelers and Justin Fields finding that equitable middle ground. Not before they take the field and see how this all looks.
