For quarterback Justin Fields, the Chicago Bears refused superior trade offers in order to fulfill his request to be sent to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Although he will be able to challenge Russell Wilson for the starting position, it is less certain whether he will stay with the team.
This offseason, Pittsburgh radically redesigned its quarterback room and capitalized on teams’ desire to let go of its signal-callers. Wilson was released by the Denver Broncos, and the Steelers signed him to the veteran minimum after cutting through with Mitch Trubisky and Mason Rudolph.
Justin Fields stats 2023:86.3 QB rating, 61.4 percent completion rate, 16-9 TD-INT, 2,562 passing yards, 657 rushing yards, 5.3 yards per carry, 4 rushing touchdowns in 13 games
The Steelers dealt former first-round pick Kenny Pickett to the Philadelphia Eagles after Wilson signed his official contract. A short while later, the team acquired Fields for a conditional sixth-round pick in 2025, taking advantage of the Chicago Bears’ wish to let him go.
In addition to improving their quarterback room for 2024, the Steelers have reduced the combined salary of Wilson and Fields to less than $5 million this season. But as of right now, it seems the team is only considering committing to one of them for the long run.
During an appearance on SportsCenter, ESPN NFL reporter Adam Schefter said that while the Steelers haven’t even gotten to see Fields start operating in their offense yet, the belief is that it would be an “upset” if the team exercised his fifth-year option.
The fifth-year option for next season would fully guarantee a $25.664 million salary for Fields. While the Steelers coaching staff likes his talent, there isn’t enough confidence in him long-term to warrant picking up that team option.
