The Pittsburgh Steelers reportedly haven’t made a decision yet about who their quarterback will be in 2025 with Russell Wilson and Justin Fields set to be free agents in March. But while the decision hasn’t been made yet, NFL insider Mike Garafolo believes that the Steelers will ultimately move on from Wilson. During an appearance on Super Bowl Live on NFL Network, Garafolo along with fellow NFL insider Judy Battista said that all the indications right now are that Wilson will not be back.
“Certainly, the indications right now would appear to be that it will not be Russell Wilson back,” Battista said.
“The Steelers have to go through all of their quarterback options as we get into the offseason here, but the tea leaves are certainly indicating there could be a change at the quarterback position for the Steelers,” Garafolo said.
While the Steelers’ decision reportedly hasn’t been made yet and team owner Art Rooney II did say the team wants to bring back one of Fields and Wilson, the signs are pointing right now for Fields to be retained. Wilson reportedly had a rift with offensive coordinator Arthur Smith and he faded down the stretch, with the Steelers ending the season on a five-game losing streak and not scoring more than 17 points in any of those games.
Fields is younger and has more potential at this point to be a long-term option. But even if he’s just a bridge quarterback, he’s a solid option as he led the Steelers to a 4-2 record in his six starts this season while Russell Wilson recovered from a calf injury. FOX insider Jay Glazer said that Wilson won’t be back with the Steelers, and The Athletic insider Dianna Russini said she was hearing the same thing. It sounds like Battista and Garafolo are getting the same intel, and James Palmer said there’s a good chance that Arthur Smith prefers Fields.
Even if the organization is split right now, it wouldn’t be a surprise at all if the Steelers turned to Fields given the way things ended with Wilson, his reported rift with Smith and the upside that Fields presents. Pittsburgh will still likely need to consider their long-term future at quarterback, and with Russell Wilson already 36, there’s a much lower chance that he can be a long-term starter than Fields.
Mike Tomlin also said he’d be comfortable with Fields starting next season. Going with the younger option who proved he could have success last season seems like the smart thing to do. We’ll find out in a few weeks what direction the Steelers turn, but right now, it seems like Fields will be the guy for them in 2025.
