The Pittsburgh Steelers’ top priority during the offseason is figuring out their quarterback plans for 2025 (bonus points if they can find a solution for the future as well). Will that mean running it back with QB Russell Wilson, who started the final 11 games of the regular season and the Wild Card game against the Baltimore Ravens? Could they bring back QB Justin Fields? Or will they go in a different direction?
One thing is for sure, there is plenty of pushback on bringing either starting quarterback back. Wilson was under center for the five-game losing streak to end the season and was largely ineffective. Fields started the season 4-2, but head coach Mike Tomlin decided to switch to Wilson in Week 7.
Yet there are people who believe that the growth that Justin Fields showed from the moment he set foot in Pittsburgh is enough to warrant the Steelers bringing him back in 2025.
“They felt like they were doing good work with Justin Fields,” Dan Graziano said Monday episode on ESPN’s Get Up. “And then Russell Wilson got healthy, and they felt like they had to start him in order to give them a chance to win now. The Steelers are trapped in this perpetual win-now window, right? So you don’t have the time to develop a player like Justin Fields. But he has been in their system for a year now. And they feel like they can build on what he showed in those first six games of the year.”
Tomlin certainly felt like the Steelers needed to get better on offense to contend in 2024. That’s the hard part about being in the AFC, a conference with quarterbacks like Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, and Joe Burrow among others.
Plus, the Steelers planned on starting Russell Wilson from the start, not Fields. But Wilson’s injuries derailed that plan. So, we could infer that the Steelers intended to develop Justin Fields on the bench, not the field. Yet, Fields got the lion’s share of reps during training camp, which actually accelerated his development. Plus, he played quite well in the first six games of the season. He posted the highest completion percentage of his career in 2024.
Yes, the Steelers pivoted to Russell Wilson midseason last year. Yes, the offense was not stellar with Justin Fields at quarterback. But there are certainly reasons to point to that the Steelers should make an effort to retain Fields for 2025 and give him a shot at starting again. And chances are, that’s exactly what Fields wants.
The question then would be if the Steelers can continue Justin Fields’ development. Because Sam Monson thinks that in the right spot with the right coaching, Fields can take a big step forward as a quarterback.
