If you’re into reading rumors about the Pittsburgh Steelers (and aren’t we all, honestly?), it appears that the consensus is that the Steelers’ top priority at quarterback is retaining Justin Fields. And they want to do it quickly. The start of free agency is almost here, which means the legal tampering period is even closer (and we all know non-legal tampering is already happening).
If that’s the case, why hasn’t it happened already? Well, insider Mark Kaboly says it’s because Fields holds all the cards in the negotiations. Part of it is the dearth of quality options in free agency. Plus, the 2025 quarterback draft class isn’t thrilling. It appears that Fields will have a market in free agency, and unless the Steelers blow him away in negotiations, he’s going to investigate what the rest of the league feels he’s worth.
But there is also the matter of how the Steelers view him. Do they want Fields as the starting quarterback in 2025? And does he trust them?
“Pittsburgh, they really want to get something done with Justin Fields that’s like a moderate, short-term deal to give him a more realistic run at potentially being their starting quarterback,” Yahoo senior NFL reporter Charles Robinson said Thursday morning on Robby & Rexrode on 102.5 The Game in Nashville. “That might not get it done, though, because Fields is sitting there saying I want a clear path to start. I don’t want to be here and go through what I went through last year. Which was Mike Tomlin deciding Russ [Wilson] is my guy and stubbornly sticking to that.”
This isn’t the first time we’ve heard that Justin Fields wants “a clear path” to start. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported that earlier this offseason. With what Robinson is saying, the Steelers are seemingly open to giving him that chance. After all, he did start the first six games of the 2024 season, and the Steelers went 4-2 with him. He posted a career-high completion percentage as well. By all accounts, he worked hard through training camp and showed improvement in terms of his footwork and accuracy.
Fields showed growth despite an uncertain situation. QB Russell Wilson was supposed to lead the team through training camp. But he suffered a calf injury the day players reported to Latrobe. So the Steelers had to pivot to Fields despite the focus being on Wilson. Once Wilson was healthy, he was named the Week 1 starter. Then he suffered another setback with his calf, and Fields started Week 1. So, how much of the game plan and scheme was focused on Fields?
If the Steelers want to retain Fields in 2025, they could focus on designing the entire offense around him. The potential for continued growth is possible, potentially even on Sam Darnold-like levels. The Steelers could focus on utilizing Fields’ deep ball like the Chicago Bears did while continuing to embrace his ability to run the ball.
It’s understandable that Fields would want assurances, though. Ahead of the Steelers’ Week 7 game against the New York Jets, head coach Mike Tomlin unilaterally decided that Wilson would be the starting quarterback. And Tomlin never looked back, despite a five-game losing streak to end the Steelers’ season. It all culminated in a thorough dismantling in the playoffs by their hated rivals, the Baltimore Ravens.
And despite the offense failing to score more than 17 points at any point during that losing streak, Tomlin stuck by Wilson. So Fields could feel slighted by that. Or perhaps he just wants that type of faith from Tomlin in 2025. And the prospect of a short-term deal might make it feel like the Steelers aren’t showing any faith in him.
Regardless, Justin Fields holds the cards in the ongoing negotiations with the Steelers. General manager Omar Khan and Mike Tomlin will need to convince Fields that they Steelers have his back, both monetarily and regarding on-field decisions, in order to get a deal done.
