The Steelers revamped quarterback room will have some internal competition. Russell Wilson can make Pittsburgh move on from Justin Fields.
The Steelers got a steal in Russell Wilson this offseason, signing the former Broncos quarterback to the veteran minimum while Denver pays out the remaining $38 million of his buyout. Shortly after Wilson arrived, Pittsburgh also traded away incumbent Kenny Pickett to the Philadelphia Eagles.
Wilson owns the Steelers quarterback room for now. While Pittsburgh did add Justin Fields via trade on the cheap, the job is Wilson’s to lose. Should he perform well, an extension is not out of the question, either. Pittsburgh fans should be prepared for all possible outcomes, as nothing is assured with Wilson.
Brian Batko of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette made the Steelers feelings about Fields incredibly obvious in a recent article.
“If Russell Wilson has a good season, I don’t believe the Steelers will fret too much about what that means for their chances at keeping Fields around,” Batko said. “They’ll lean into the present if it’s really that good.”
Steelers won’t think twice about moving on from Justin Fields
As much potential as Fields has as a dual-threat passer at the NFL level, he received plenty of opportunities in Chicago. The former first-round pick out of Ohio State would be best served learning behind Wilson for a year and (hoping) he gets another chance in 2025.
Fields is set to enter the free-agent market next offseason if the Steelers don’t pick up his fifth-year option, which seems unlikely. Since Pittsburgh rarely negotiates contract extension in the season, Fields and Omar Khan have a few months to figure out their long-term plan at QB. Again: It remains unclear if Fields is part of that long-term vision, or more of a high-upside backup the Steelers acquired on the cheap.
As Batko noted, though, if Wilson performs as well as the Steelers think he can in this offense, it won’t matter. Wilson has good will with Mike Tomlin and would be an affordable stopgap option until the Steelers are comfortable drafting their next quarterback of the future. That won’t be in this draft class, but having a former Super Bowl-winning passer at the helm in the meantime isn’t a bad plan.
