The Pittsburgh Steelers are well aware that they face a massive decision at the quarterback position. During the 2024 season, they benefited greatly from having both Russell Wilson and Justin Fields on budget-friendly deals due to their unique contract situations. Unfortunately, that financial advantage disappears in 2025, when retaining both quarterbacks will become significantly more expensive.
That’s why many believe the Steelers are preparing to hand the team over to Fields. At 25 years old, he is not only the younger and more exciting option, but also the more affordable one. Meanwhile, Wilson, who will be 37 next season, is expected to command far more money than the Steelers may be willing to pay. With Fields offering more upside as a potential long-term franchise quarterback, Steelers Owner Art Rooney II has already indicated that while one quarterback is likely to return, both will not.
Steelers legendary quarterback Ben Roethlisberger frequently gets asked about Pittsburgh’s quarterback dilemma every time he drops an episode of his popular Footbahlin podcast. On Tuesday, in his latest episode, that question inevitably came up again: Wilson or Fields? As expected, Roethlisberger didn’t hold back in sharing his thoughts.
"It seems like every day we are getting a positive story about Russell Wilson and what’s going on and him coming back," Roethlisberger said on his podcast Footbahlin. "The next day it is a negative story about Russell Wilson and coming back here and then it is a positive about Justin and then a negative about Justin. What in the world is going on?"
Roethlisberger acknowledged that he’s been asked this question quite a bit lately, but he has never shied away from giving his honest opinion.
While he understands the difficult position the Steelers are in, his reasoning for favoring Fields over Wilson came down to one key factor—cost.
"I don’t know when there will be an answer for all of this," Roethlisberger said. "I am gonna make it about money. I think the important thing is which guy can you get for less money so you can go get a free agent wide receiver and spend money elsewhere. You have to figure out what your long-term plan is."
Spotrac has set Fields’ market value at $6.4 million a year, while Wilson’s is estimated at a staggering $38.7 million. To put that into perspective, that’s an enormous price tag for an aging veteran quarterback—just look at what happened with the Atlanta Falcons and Kirk Cousins. On top of that, the Steelers had Wilson on a bargain deal in 2024, paying him just over $1 million, and the results were far from impressive.
It would be difficult to find a Steelers fan who genuinely believes paying Wilson that kind of money would be a smart move. Even if he were willing to take a team-friendly deal, many fans still wouldn’t be thrilled.
Steelers Are Playing A Dangerous Game With Justin Fields
They’ve already seen what life with Wilson looks like and, if forced to choose, would rather see more of Fields. When you factor in the massive price difference between keeping Fields and bringing back Wilson, it’s surprising the Steelers haven’t already locked in Fields as their future quarterback.
If Fields hits the open market, plenty of quarterback-needy teams will be eager to take a chance on him. The Steelers simply can’t afford to get into a massive bidding war for any quarterback. That’s why many fans are hoping the team locks up Fields sooner rather than later. While Roethlisberger doesn’t know when this saga will come to an end, he believes the smartest move is to go with Fields.
