The Pittsburgh Steelers very clearly thought they had the roster in place to win during the 2024 season. Otherwise they wouldn’t have pulled 25-year-old QB Justin Fields in favor of 36-year-old QB Russell Wilson after starting the season 4-2. It looked like the right decision at first, but it was clear by the end of the season that Pittsburgh was miles away from competing deep into the playoffs.
With neither Wilson nor Fields under contract for the 2025 season, the Steelers’ 2024 decisions now leave them in an interesting dilemma. The Pat McAfee Show Steelers insider Mark Kaboly thinks they prefer Fields, but it might not be so simple in negotiations.
“I think they’re more interested in him, but that doesn’t mean he’s gonna be the guy they choose,” Kaboly said via 93.7 The Fan’s Morning Show. “If I’m Justin, I’m liking the position I’m in right now. ‘Oh man, you didn’t want to sign me last year?’ I’m sure if they would’ve went to him last year and said, ‘Hey we wanna add you here before the season starts for a year or so,’ he might have accepted it. Now you got four, or five, six teams that need a quarterback.”
Fields’ leverage was at an all-time low last offseason. After being the No. 11 overall pick just a few years prior, he was pawned off for a conditional sixth-round pick. There were virtually no starting jobs available on the market at the time, and it wasn’t clear if Fields was going to see any playing time with Wilson in place. They could have offered him an extra year on his deal after declining the fifth-year option, and it might have been in his best interest to accept that given the circumstances.
He ended up getting six starts while Wilson was injured, and he looked like a better version of his Chicago self in the process. That is enough for a QB-needy team to take a swing for the right price, and it could complicate the Steelers’ decision-making process.
To ensure the best price, the Steelers need to put offers in front of Fields and Wilson prior to the start of free agency. Wilson’s camp might be eager to accept whatever is offered with uncertainty of another starting opportunity elsewhere. Fields will just be turning 26 years old at the start of free agency and seems more likely to test the market.
“If you’re the Steelers, can you wait?” Kaboly said. “Can you say, ‘Hey Russ, hold on a sec, let’s go see if Justin’s gonna go sign somewhere else.’ No, you can’t do that. Then all of a sudden you’ve got Kyle Allen starting.”
If the Steelers take the wait-and-see approach with Fields, they could be jeopardizing the possibility of bringing Wilson back. The Las Vegas Raiders seem like they could make him their bridge QB with his former head coach Pete Carroll running the show. Wilson downplayed the Raiders possibility, but that’s only because he would like to return to Pittsburgh. If that seems uncertain, his hand might be forced into going somewhere he will start.
For what it’s worth, Fields has stated his desire to remain in Pittsburgh. He had a strong connection with OC Arthur Smith, and he was playing the best football of his NFL career with the Steelers prior to Wilson returning from injury.
He had the highest completion percentage (65.8) and the best TD:INT ratio (10:1) of his career if you include his five rushing TDs. Many of the knocks on him from Chicago improved.
Tomlin said the team is open to bringing back Fields and starting him in 2025. It definitely makes more long-term sense to do so, and arguably in the short-term, too. But could unrestricted free agency create an unfavorable climate for the Steelers to make that happen?
