The Pittsburgh Steelers have a decision to make on their future at quarterback, and the team wants to bring back one of Russell Wilson or Justin Fields, both of whom started for the Steelers in 2024. Fields went 4-2 to start the season while Wilson recovered from a calf injury, and while Wilson started strong, he struggled during Pittsburgh’s five-game losing streak to end the season.
Former Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger said on his Footbahlin podcast that whatever decision the Steelers make, there’s no wrong choice when it comes to deciding between Wilson and Fields.
“I do,” Roethlisberger said when asked if both guys were capable. “I think both guys are. I think both guys have pros and cons, different things. I think whatever one they decide, if it’s one, it might not be one of these guys. Who knows, if they decide to go with one, I don’t think it’s the wrong choice.”
Roethlisberger believes that both Wilson and Fields would be better next season in Year 2 of playing in Arthur Smith’s system.
“All of them should be better next year if it’s the same offensive system. You get a year better, you’re going to be better, so each of them they’re probably going to play better.”
Wilson seemed like the clear choice to be Pittsburgh’s quarterback of the future when he took over and played well, but down the stretch, many of the issues that plagued him in his prior stint with Denver came back to bite him. He held onto the football too long, struggled against zone coverage, and didn’t successfully attack the middle of the field. That led to Pittsburgh losing their last five games and failing to score more than 17 points in those games, leading to serious questions of whether Wilson should remain in Pittsburgh.
Fields is younger and more athletic, and his decision-making during his Steelers tenure was the best of his career. But his accuracy wasn’t great, and a lot of development is still needed for him to be a long-term starting option. Even with his struggles late in the season, Pittsburgh may view Wilson as their best option to win now.
But Fields proved he can win and has more long-term upside, although Pittsburgh’s future quarterback may not be in the organization right now, as both Wilson and Fields are probably being viewed as bridge quarterbacks. So, in that sense, there might not be a wrong choice since both guys showed they could win last year, but bringing back Wilson would certainly leave a sour taste in some fans’ mouths after the way the season ended.
It’ll be an interesting few weeks as the Steelers decide who they want to roll with as their starter in 2025, and whoever it is, they should hope that Roethlisberger is right that both guys will develop and play better in Arthur Smith’s system with another year of experience under their belt.
