Justin Fields has all the power.
With the Pittsburgh Steelers looking to make their quarterback decision between Justin Fields and Russell Wilson ahead of free agency, time is running out. However, when choosing between Fields and Wilson, one quarterback reportedly has the power in this negotiation, per Mark Kaboly of The Athletic on Thursday's episode of The Pat McAfee Show.
“They prefer Justin Fields, and they’re going to move forward with the thought of trying to sign him up here right now, but things can happen between now and Wednesday,” Kaboly said. “Justin is in no hurry to get signed right now.
“I mean, he has all the power in the relationship right now. Considering how needy the NFL is in quarterback situation, those six games did him really well last year of making him a hot commodity out there.
“So he's just going to play it out here. The Steelers want to bring him back. They're going to make every effort to bring him back, and they're not going to mention this publicly, but he's 1A, and if things go awry, then the fall-back plan is Russell Wilson.”
During the 2024 season, there were many discussions regarding whether the Steelers made the right choice by letting Wilson take over after Fields led them to a 4-2 record in his first six starts.
Once Wilson took over, he led Pittsburgh to a 6-5 record with their season ending in the Wild Card round against the Baltimore Ravens.
Additionally, Wilson turned 36 in November, while Fields just turned 26 on March 5. So not only did Fields arguably play better than Wilson in 2024, but he's nearly a decade younger.
Now, Fields isn't a perfect quarterback by any means, but neither is Wilson. Both quarterbacks have parts of their game that could use refinement, but Fields has an athletic ceiling that far surpasses the 36-year-old Wilson. If athleticism matters to the Steelers for their next quarterback, Fields is the clear answer.
However, there's still a chance Fields prefers to sign elsewhere, joining a team like the New York Jets — as they've shown interest in the former No. 11 pick after cutting ties with Aaron Rodgers. But, with free agency right around the corner, it'll be interesting to see who wins the Justin Fields Sweepstakes: the Steelers or a different team.
