Steelers Free Agent Analysis: Justin Fields
Position: Quarterback
Experience: 4 Years (1 with Steelers)
Free Agent Status: Unrestricted
2024 Salary Cap Hit: $3,233,448
2024 Season Breakdown:
There might not have been a better situation for Justin Fields to settle into than the Pittsburgh Steelers. That doesn’t mean it was a great situation, but perhaps that’s yet to be determined. He played some of the finest football of his career in the Black and Gold and improved his position from a year ago, without question.
Around this time in 2024, the Chicago Bears began shopping their former first-round pick. Already resolved to draft QB Caleb Williams with the top pick in the draft, they decided to move on. The Steelers reportedly did not offer the best package for Justin Fields, but they chose to deal him to Pittsburgh for Fields’ sake.
Fortune favored that deal, as their new strength and conditioning staff asked Russell Wilson to push a sled to open training camp. He injured his calf and then aggravated it, leading into the season opener. As a result, the Steelers got a long look at Justin Fields in training camp. And then he started the first six games of the season.
He looked like a different quarterback during that time—but not always positively. While he made fewer mistakes, he also seemed to play not to lose. That limited the Steelers’ offense with Fields in the lineup, likely by design. When Wilson took over, there was a night-and-day difference in the passing game.
But the Steelers saw potential in Fields, and now they have to decide how much of it they can unlock. Can they develop him into a plus passer while encouraging his natural play-making through his athleticism?
Free Agency Outlook:
As discussed yesterday, deciding between Russell Wilson and Justin Fields is the Steelers’ biggest dilemma this offseason. While neither is an ideal option, they likely present the best, most realistic short-term solutions.
The question is what his market is, and neither the Steelers nor Fields may know that for another month. With a weak crop in free agency, he figures to be one of the more appealing quarterbacks to hit the market. That is, if the Steelers allow him to do so. But unless they tag him, Fields has the final say in whether that happens or not.
Since the Steelers ended the season on a five-game skid with Russell Wilson under center, popular sentiment has shifted very strongly in favor of Justin Fields. If the 2024 season shows Wilson’s ceiling, then the younger, more athletic option is much more attractive.
The Steelers have a long list of free agents this year, but not absolutely can’t-lose names. While it includes significant players like Najee Harris and Dan Moore Jr., they are not the team’s priority. The biggest question is the quarterback position, working to choose between Russell Wilson and Justin Fields. There are some choice role players, but they wouldn’t fall apart if they lost the entire lot—minus a quarterback.
