The Steelers sounded content with Russell Wilson and Justin Fields last season, yet they passed on re-signing either. So far, that seems to be the right move. Of course, going on a five-game losing streak to end the year with Wilson kind of helped clarify things. And while the Steelers may have had some interest in continuing to work with Fields, the Jets overpaid for the opportunity.
Almost halfway through the season, the Giants have already benched Wilson, and the Jets appear on the verge of benching Fields. While this helps validate the Steelers’ decision to move on, it also hurts their compensatory capital. Under best-case scenario terms, they could have fetched a fourth- and third-round pick, respectively. Wilson is now looking more like a potential sixth-round pick, and Fields’s value should drop, as well.
Of course, the Steelers earning compensatory picks for Wilson and Fields wasn’t automatically going to manifest a franchise quarterback in the 2026 NFL Draft. In fact, the way things are looking right now, this isn’t going to be a strong quarterback class anyway.
But the point is, they had a shot at keeping things going, and they chose not to. The compensatory value was a part of that equation, but if the Steelers believed in either Russell Wilson or Justin Fields, one of them would still be here. Instead, the Jets paid Fields $40 million over two years, including $30 million guaranteed. And the Giants signed Wilson to a one-year, $10.5 million contract with incentives he almost certainly won’t reach.
For both Wilson and Fields, both played their best football in years while with the Steelers. They haven’t carried that over to East Rutherford, and it’s not looking good for either one. In the Giants’ case, they’ve already moved on to their first-round rookie, Jaxson Dart, and they are looking better.
In the Jets’ sphere, meanwhile, owner Woody Johnson is dunking on his own quarterback. “If we can just complete a pass, it would look good”, he said. This season, Fields is 86-of-135, but for just 845 yards. He has thrown four touchdown passes with just a touchdown percentage of 3.0. He has three rushing touchdowns, but also lost three fumbles, even if he hasn’t thrown an interception.
The Steelers already beat Justin Fields in Week 1, even if that was his best game. He scored three times, throwing one touchdown pass and rushing for two more. But they have scored 11 or fewer points in half of his starts and only scored more than 22 once.
According to Pro Football Talk, the Jets are “moving toward” benching Fields after guaranteeing him $30 million for just seven games (one of which he missed due to injury). Many analysts criticized the Steelers early on for not re-signing Fields or Wilson, but in hindsight, it’s clear as day that they made the right decision. Meanwhile, they are 4-2 and Aaron Rodgers leads the NFL in touchdown passes and angry faces.
