It’s no surprise to anyone who follows the Pittsburgh Steelers that their quarterback situation heading into 2025 is cause for concern. Both Russell Wilson and Justin Fields are set to be free agents in March, and while the Steelers want to retain one of them, there’s a real question as to whether either is good enough to lead this team to playoff success. Without a strong quarterback market or a strong draft class, the Steelers’ quarterback outlook isn’t pretty, and The 33rd Team’s Dan Pizzuta ranked Pittsburgh’s quarterback situation No. 28 in the league heading into 2025.
“The Steelers bought low on Justin Fields and Russell Wilson. Neither found consistent success in the passing game as there wasn’t much of a structure around it. The only successful piece of the offense became Wilson’s deep balls to George Pickens, but when those didn’t hit, the offense stalled,” Pizzuta wrote about Pittsburgh’s passing attack in 2024.
Pizzuta thinks the Steelers are a potential destination for QB Sam Darnold, who is expected to be the top option on the market after leading the Minnesota Vikings to a 14-3 record last season.
“Both Fields and Wilson will be free agents, forcing Pittsburgh to find a new starting quarterback for 2025. The only quarterback on the roster right now is Skylar Thompson. Pittsburgh, with the 21st pick, doesn’t have a path in the draft but with $40 million in cap space could be a Darnold destination.”
Wilson and Fields hitting the market doesn’t mean the Steelers are going to move on from both. It’s much more likely one of them will be Pittsburgh’s starter in 2025 than an outside option. Of options outside the organization, Darnold makes some sense given his 2024 success, but the Vikings lost in the NFC Wild Card Round and Darnold struggled late in the season. The Steelers may not want to commit to giving him a big contract and making him the their quarterback of the future when there’s uncertainty over whether he can lead a team deep in the postseason.
Even if the Steelers do retain one of Fields or Wilson, the quarterback situation won’t drastically improve. Ideally, if the Steelers sign Fields he can prove that he can be a long-term starter, but until he does, the Steelers don’t really have a good option for their quarterback of the future. It would eliminate the uncertainty that currently exists at the position for 2025, but the position is still going to be viewed as a weak spot for the Steelers.
Outside of the off chance that the team can land QB Matthew Stafford, the Steelers likely won’t be in a better spot at quarterback for next year than they were in 2024. And until the Steelers find their quarterback of the future, their situation will continue to be viewed as one of the worst in the league.
