The Pittsburgh Steelers won’t have QB Justin Fields next season, as Fields has agreed to a two-year, $40 million deal with the New York Jets that includes $30 million guaranteed. The news was reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
The Jets had long been rumored to have interest in Fields, and with the Steelers failing to get a deal done with him before the legal tampering period, New York had an opportunity to sign the quarterback who went 4-2 in six starts for the Steelers last season. With a new coaching staff led by head coach Aaron Glenn and offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand, Fields will likely have an opportunity to start for a Jets team looking to turn its fortunes around following a disastrous 2024 season with Aaron Rodgers under center.
The Steelers will play against Fields and the Jets at MeLife Stadium in 2025.
Per NFL Media’s Tom Pelissero on NFL Network’s Free Agent Frenzy, the Steelers had continued to make a push for Fields, but the Jets showed “strong interest” from the beginning of the legal tampering period today. Pelissero said Fields informed the Steelers a “short time ago” that he wouldn’t be returning to Pittsburgh.
While Fields started the first six games for Pittsburgh, Mike Tomlin turned to Russell Wilson in Week 7 once Wilson got healthy. Fields didn’t start again the rest of the season, and a late-season abdominal injury didn’t help him see action in packages.
Fields was injured on his first carry against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 15, and he missed the next two games and didn’t play in the regular-season finale. Fields logged two snaps in the Steelers’ Wild Card loss, throwing an incompletion.
A first-round pick of the Chicago Bears in 2021, the Steelers reportedly had interest in Fields but opted against trading up to land the Ohio State product. He had three turbulent seasons with the team amid a revolving cast of head coaches and coordinators. With the No. 1 pick for the 2024 draft to select USC QB Caleb Williams, the Bears shopped Fields for weeks. They struggled to find takers and the league viewed Fields as a backup, not a starter.
Ultimately, Fields requested to be traded to Pittsburgh and Chicago shipped him there 24 hours after the Steelers sent Kenny Pickett to the Philadelphia Eagles.
Glenn is familiar with Fields from his time as the defensive coordinator for the Detroit Lions, where he faced Fields with the Bears twice a year.
But with the Steelers opting to let the season play out before extending Fields, his tenure in Pittsburgh will be one and done.
Despite Art Rooney II and Omar Khan’s comments about the Steelers wanting to retain one of Fields or Wilson, the Steelers struck out with Fields. The team will now have to look elsewhere to find its quarterback solution, which could include bringing back Wilson, although that seems unlikely. The Steelers could also look outside the organization for someone like Rodgers, while Justin Fields will get a clear path to a starting gig with the Jets.
