After reshaping their quarterback room this offseason, bringing in both Russell Wilson and Justin Fields, the Pittsburgh Steelers have seemingly found an answer at QB moving forward, especially after a few years of struggles in the post-Ben Roethlisberger era.
Fields went 4-2 as a starter early in the year while Wilson worked his way back from injury, and Wilson is 4-1 as a starter since taking over in Week 7 against the New York Jets. The pair has provided stability and big playmaking abilities at the most important position in sports.
The only problem is, both are on one-year deals with the Steelers, which will make them free agents ahead of the 2025 season. According to CBS NFL insider Jonathan Jones, who appeared on CBS NFL Today Sunday morning, the Steelers would like both to return in 2025.
“The Steelers have a desire to retain both Russ and Justin Fields, but you have to imagine they’re only gonna going to be able to keep one,” Jones said, according to video via CBS. “Now, I polled several execs about what Russ’s next contract will be, and it could be in the high twenties or low thirties.”
That desire to retain one of the quarterbacks isn’t new, considering there was plenty of reporting shortly after the signing of Russell Wilson to a one-year, $1.21 million deal that the plan was for the team and Wilson to sign a long-term deal after the season.
Not much has seemingly changed in that regard, especially with the way Wilson is performing this season. He has given the Steelers a significant boost in the passing game, leading to some explosive plays through the air to open things up for the Black and Gold. Wilson turned 36 years old Friday, so he’s getting up there in age. However, he said during his introductory press conference in Pittsburgh that he thinks he has five to seven years of good football left in him.
Any extension with Pittsburgh likely wouldn’t be that long-term, but the team could look to keep him for a few years beyond 2024. Based on what Jones is hearing that extension could come in around the high 20s or low 30s, meaning millions per year, which would be a relative bargain at the QB position, especially after there has been speculation he could get $40 million or more a year.
But Jones’ report on the Steelers’ desire to retain Fields is eye-opening. He’s a young quarterback who needs to play, so an extension for Wilson might be detrimental to keeping Fields long-term.
Based on his performance early in the season, Fields showed he can be successful outside of Chicago, which could create quite a market for the former first-round pick. He still holds a lot of long-term value, especially at the QB position, so entering the offseason at a position of need around the league, Fields could see plenty of offers roll in.
If the Steelers re-sign Wilson, they couldn’t offer a starting job to Fields, which would make it very hard to retain him.
The Steelers like what they have at the QB position right now with Wilson and Fields. They want to keep both, but it seems unlikely they’ll be able to, which is unfortunate. Stranger things have happened though.
