Taking a brief reprieve from his NFL Draft coverage, analyst Daniel Jeremiah weighed in on the state of free agency days away from the start of the new league year. Examining the Pittsburgh Steelers’ murky quarterback situation, Jeremiah thinks the team has only two doors to open: re-sign Justin Fields or sign Sam Darnold.
“I just feel like the Pittsburgh Steelers when we get to Monday when this whole thing kick off,” Jeremiah said during a Friday appearance on the Pat McAfee Show. “They have to have either Justin Fields or Sam Darnold in the fold. To me, those are the two guys that make the most sense for the Pittsburgh Steelers.”
Pittsburgh having any starting quarterback in place by Monday would be ideal. That begins the legal tampering period when outside free agents can verbally agree to terms with other clubs. For the Steelers to land a starting receiver, high on their list of needs, they’ll need clarity under center.
Fields and Darnold are regarded as the top two pending free agents and both figure to have a market beyond their current clubs. Pittsburgh and Minnesota have expressed a desire to re-sign both players, but the Las Vegas Raiders could be in the mix for Darnold while the New York Jets and Raiders could be in the hunt for Fields.
To date, chatter linking Darnold to Pittsburgh has been minimal. But ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler has kept the door open while GM Omar Khan hasn’t discounted the possibility of an outside addition, recently stating all options are “on the table” until someone is signed.
Darnold is coming off a career season that will come with a career price tag. Expectations are he’ll sign a deal worth at least $30 million per season. Returning to Minnesota is possible though he’d have 2024 first-round QB J.J. McCarthy looking over his shoulder. Perhaps that would make Pittsburgh a more attractive option.
With Fields reportedly waiting until early next week to sign, the Steelers could start the unofficial portion of free agency without a quarterback. If so, they’ll be compelled to call around and create alternate paths should Fields and Russell Wilson sign elsewhere. Should the Steelers be unable to retain either of their 2024 quarterbacks, Jeremiah thinks they should take a big swing at the top quarterback available.
