The NFL offseason is officially underway with the Philadelphia Eagles’ blowout victory in Super Bowl LIX, and with the season now over, the Pittsburgh Steelers’ quarterback situation comes more into focus. Pittsburgh has both Russell Wilson and Justin Fields set to be free agents in March, and the team will likely only bring one of them back to be the starting quarterback next season. Sports Illustrated’s Conor Orr put out predictions for every team for this offseason or the 2025 NFL season. He believes that the Steelers will opt for Fields over Wilson, and ensure he stays in the building despite likely having interest from other teams.
“The Steelers will end up going with Justin Fields. I suppose I understood the reasoning for going with Russell Wilson last year but I wonder what might have happened if Mike Tomlin was a little bit quicker with the hook. Could Fields have offered something different offensively that could have broken up the long losing streak at the end of the season? Either way, amid this dire quarterbacking offseason in which Fields would be a top option for about three or four teams on the market, the Steelers have to think economically and make him an offer that keeps him in the building.”
With a weak quarterback draft class and not a whole lot of exciting options in free agency at the position, it makes sense that Fields would be sought after by QB-needy teams. He played pretty well in his six starts with Pittsburgh this season, showing clear improvement in his decision-making with just one interception, and his skillset and ability to use his legs are intriguing. Justin Fields will also be just 26 years old next season, meaning that teams could view him as a potential longer-term option as a starter if he can get into a system and play well.
It would make sense that the Steelers would prefer to go with the younger and more athletic Fields over Wilson, given that they opted to start Wilson once he got healthy, but the team still ended up 10-7 and with a Wild Card Round loss. Despite early success from Wilson, he faltered along with the rest of the offense down the stretch. The five-game losing streak to end the season didn’t help Wilson’s case to stick around in Pittsburgh.
Ideally, if the Steelers do prefer Fields, they would get a deal done with him before the start of the legal tampering period. Letting Fields talk to other teams opens up the possibility of a bidding war. A team like the Las Vegas Raiders could have interest in Fields given they could miss out on the top quarterbacks in the draft at No. 6 overall and are likely looking to upgrade their quarterback room this offseason. Meanwhile, the New York Jets and New York Giants could be other teams interested.
Justin Fields likely wants the opportunity to start next season, and the Steelers would offer that. Given he wants to remain in Pittsburgh, if he’s the choice, it’s a deal that they should get done sooner rather than later, but signs are pointing to Fields remaining with the Steelers in 2025 and beyond.
