The Pittsburgh Steelers still have Russell Wilson and Justin Fields sitting out there, hoping to re-sign one of the two. While they insist they are leaving all options on the table until somebody signs, that is their public Plan A. Perhaps there is a little more nuance behind the scenes, but in their media comments, they are united and unanimous.
Unanimous, at least, in saying that the Steelers want at least one of Justin Fields or Russell Wilson back. And about a week out of free agency, the reality is that nobody still knows who they will re-sign. There is some momentum in favor of Fields, but Wilson is not out of the running. That was the latest, for example, from Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on the KDKA #1 Cochran Sports Showdown.
“I think it’s gonna be one of those two”, he said of the Steelers re-signing either Russell Wilson or Justin Fields rather than an external option. “And I think if we’re talking a week from now, we’d know the answer. March 10 is the first day of the legal tampering period. They’re gonna have to know by then. But if you have to ask me right now, I’d say they’re leaning toward Justin Fields, but I’m completely keeping the door open for Russell Wilson as well”.
Indeed, Mark Kaboly, for example, predicted that the Steelers will ultimately re-sign Russell Wilson despite saying that they like Justin Fields more. Part of the issue would be that, in a week’s time, they will have to compete with other teams. And given the weak market at the position, both of them should receive a fair amount of attention.
The Steelers got a glimpse of life with Justin Fields through the first six games of the 2024 season, as well as most of training camp. At the time, Russell Wilson was dealing with a calf injury thanks to the Steelers’ new strength and conditioning staff. Which appears to be a bad hire, based on player feedback.
Despite their success with Fields, the Steelers pivoted to Wilson once the Pro Bowler was healthy. And initially, it appeared to be the right move. They went 6-1 with him, but then they lost their last five games. The defense had a lot to do with their late tailspin, but the offense couldn’t even top 17 points.
Given the lack of alternatives, there is certainly a case to make for re-signing Justin Fields. At this point, though, we are largely guessing at who thinks what. Some, for example, have suggested that the “right people” in the Steelers organization prefer Russell Wilson.
So where does this leave us, exactly? Right where we’ve been for weeks on end, of course, on the quarterback carousel. I think most of us are ready to vomit at this point, and not just because the Steelers’ best options appear to be Wilson and Fields. It’s not like there’s a Joe Burrow at the end of the ride.
