The Pittsburgh Steelers started Justin Fields for the first six weeks of the season due to injury. Yet he played well enough that many wanted him to continue starting, criticizing the Steelers for changing course. After Russell Wilson helped justify his head coach’s move, the conversation is pivoting to the future.
Both Russell Wilson and Justin Fields will be unrestricted free agents in 2025, and the Steelers like both. But they signed Wilson to be their starter, making him their presumptive priority. By the same token, Gerry Dulac believes Fields may have played well enough to price himself toward another team.
“I think Fields might have played himself into a job with another team in 2025 with the way he played the first six games”, Dulac wrote in his latest chat session. The Steelers, in theory, wanted to keep both around, but they didn’t anticipate both playing extensively.
Viewed as stocks, the Steelers managed to buy low on both Russell Wilson and Justin Fields. Wilson just found himself released by the Denver Broncos, the Bears moving on from Fields before drafting QB Caleb Williams first overall. Fields found a limited market via trade, partially because teams knew Chicago needed to move him.
But yet they had to know, and must have anticipated, a scenario in which they raised their value. Analysts around the sport widely acknowledge that Fields played the best of his career over the first six weeks. And Wilson set a Steelers record for the most passing yards in a debut with the team, helping them score 37 points in the process.
So even if the Steelers re-sign Russell Wilson as their starter, they could struggle mightily to afford to retain Justin Fields in the hopes of continuing to develop him as their future franchise quarterback. Perhaps if he hadn’t started the first six games, things would be different, but that toothpaste is loose. What, then, could they do to recoup value now—trade Fields?
One reader asked Dulac about whether there was any truth to such rumors of the Steelers having interest in doing so. “None whatsoever”, he replied, explaining why. “They have always believed in having at least one quality backup, and usually two, because they believe QB is the most important position in the league. That’s why they traded for Fields. They want backup support in case of injury. They are not trading Fields, ok”.
But even if they are very unlikely to trade Justin Fields, it’s also looking more unlikely he will return after this season. Russell Wilson has only played one game so far, but if he cements his status, Fields is probably gone. Other quarterbacks have performed worse on a smaller scale and received considerable market attention.
The only potential variable would be charity on the part of Russell Wilson. If for some reason he would be willing to accept a “team-friendly” deal, then perhaps the Steelers could afford to retain Justin Fields. But there is no financial or competitive reason why he would do that for another quarterback. Still, there remains a long way to go before free agency in 2025, and a lot can still happen.
