Justin Fields or Russell Wilson? That’s the biggest question surrounding the Pittsburgh Steelers as the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis rolls right along.
The Steelers need to decided between one of the two quarterbacks when it comes to who will get a new deal and be their starting quarterback to open the 2025 season. Most reports indicate that Wilson is on his way out and Fields is the guy the Steelers want.
For now, the Steelers are keeping all options on the table, not ruling out anything when it comes to the most important position in sports.
It’s a tough spot to be in for GM Omar Khan and head coach Mike Tomlin, as the Steelers lost five straight games down the stretch with Wilson under center and the offense not scoring more than 17 points in a game in that span. There was a clash with offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, too, which makes it more challenging to run it back with Wilson, even with him fitting the window of opportunity in Pittsburgh.
With Fields, six starts is seemingly too small of a sample size to gamble on for 2025. But that’s exactly what former NFL GM and current ESPN analyst Mike Tannenbaum would do.
“I’d re-sign Justin Fields, Greeny [Mike Greenberg]. This is a quarterback that you and I both like. Here’s the most remarkable thing about Justin Fields: next week, he’s turning 26. Last year we saw players like Geno Smith, Sam Darnold, Baker Mayfield thrived in their third or fourth different stops. Quarterback development is never in a straight line,” Tannenbaum said Thursday on Get Up while making the case for Fields in Pittsburgh, according to video via ESPN. “He’s 26 years old. I’m betting on the upside and I’m betting on his character.
“How about this? Over their last five games last year, including the playoffs, the Pittsburgh Steelers averaged 14 points per game with Russell Wilson. That is not good enough. I’m gonna go with Justin Fields, I’m betting on the upside and then I’m gonna draft a quarterback as well.”
Citing the likes of Geno Smith, Sam Darnold and Baker Mayfield as quarterbacks who were given up on too early and then having success at later stops is certainly fair when it comes to Fields. Of those three quarterbacks Tannenbaum mentioned, two of them were high draft picks, with Mayfield No. 1 to Cleveland and Darnold No. 3 to the Jets. Smith was a second-round pick of the Jets in 2013, too.
With Fields, he was the No. 11 overall pick of the 2021 NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears and was bounced around in Chicago with different head coaches and coordinators. He had some good moments in Chicago, including rushing for more than 1,000 yards in 2022, but he was on the roller-coaster at the position with highs and lows, until they ultimately moved on from him.
In Pittsburgh, he finally was in a stable environment and in the first six games of the season he cleaned up mistakes from Chicago, took care of the football and showed flashes. Ultimately though, it wasn’t good enough in the eyes of Tomlin, who went “lone ranger” and made the change to Wilson, never going back to Fields.
With Wilson being the veteran and a former Super Bowl winner, there might be some loyalty there from Tomlin in free agency. That has many concerned, especially with the potential cost for Wilson. Add his performance late in the season during the five-game losing streak and it seemed quite clear that Wilson wasn’t the answer.
But right now, it’s unclear what direction the Steelers will go in.
Tannenbaum believes it shouldn’t be unclear.
“You’re not gonna get to where you want to go with Russell Wilson. The way this offense is configured, all I’m saying is Justin Fields has the ability to get better. He is only 26,” Tannenbaum added. “I know it’s not perfect, but if we talked about Baker Mayfield of the Rams, or Baker Mayfield or the Panthers, we’d say the same thing, right? Geno Smith of the Jets. So my point is like, give him more time to develop and draft somebody else.”
Fields should get more time in Pittsburgh, especially in an Arthur Smith offense that can build around his strengths and utilize his running abilities, particularly in the red zone. Fields was quite good there early in his tenure with the Steelers, helping them cash in with touchdowns rather than settling for field goals, which was huge early in the season.
Though Fields cleaned up some mistakes and played solid football, there were still some issues, particularly in the passing game with his struggles pushing the ball vertically and making the right reads pre-snap. He’s still developing, though, and it’s not as if he had the best coaching in Chicago.
Another year of growth and stability in Pittsburgh, while being the true No. 1 in the offseason, could do wonders for Fields.
“But I will say this, you have to win for today and develop for tomorrow. They don’t have a quarterback right now. We know Russell Wilson isn’t good enough. So what I’m saying is Justin Fields isn’t the end of the story. It’s the beginning of it,” Tannenbaum said. “Get him under contract, he can still get better. I understand where he was last year. But again, when you look at the autopsy of some of these guys’ careers, it’s never in a straight line.
“I’m not giving up on Fields ’cause of his ability and his character and maybe I draft somebody in the second round that we like. So all I’m saying is you gotta start somewhere and I’m starting with Fields over Wilson.”
Tannenbaum’s logic makes a great deal of sense. The Steelers aren’t going anywhere right now, not with Wilson at quarterback. Maybe not with Fields under center, either. But his skill set, his age, and his fit within the scheme is better than Wilson’s and gives the Steelers something to work with both now and in the future.
Plus, rolling with Fields in 2025 doesn’t preclude the Steelers from selecting a quarterback in this draft, either, especially if one they like is on the board.
