The Pittsburgh Steelers signed Russell Wilson and traded for Justin Fields during the 2024 offseason in an attempt to bring some stability to the quarterback room. While both passers have plenty of potential and are eager to prove what they have, 2024 is a one-year trial for both players. Omar Khan was able to overhaul the Steelers' quarterback room for cheap, but that isn't a permanent solution.
While the Steelers feel comfortable with their current but temporary quarterback situation, the Dallas Cowboys are approaching a crossroads regarding Dak Prescott's future with the team. On the Thursday episode of the This Is Football podcast, Jeremy Fowler, senior NFL reporter for ESPN, was asked if there were any teams watching the Prescott situation with particular interest. Fowler saw the unique quarterback contracts in Pittsburgh as a reason why Prescott could end up on the Steelers' radar.
"Yeah, I'm thinking of Pittsburgh, right? Like, Russell Wilson, he may play great, but he's on a one-year, $1 million minimum deal, right? And Justin Fields doesn't have his fifth-year option picked up. Maybe he's [Dak Prescott] a long-term answer."
Considering that Pittsburgh is barely removed from the painful Kenny Pickett experiment, the prospect of looking ahead to a 2025 offseason that includes the pursuit of Prescott seems premature, but the NFL moves at rapid speed. The 2023 season was not only frustrating and embarrassing for the Steelers, it significantly lowered the bar for how offensive production and success are measured. Pickett managed 13 touchdowns and 13 interceptions in his two professional seasons, so Fields and Wilson are an immediate upgrade.
Prescott seemed to come out of nowhere on the way to being the starting quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys. A fourth-round pick in the 2016 NFL Draft, Prescott won the job over Tony Romo and Kellen Moore and wouldn't miss a start until injuries cut his 2020 season to five games. Despite being on the other side of 30, Prescott threw a career-high 36 touchdowns in 2023 against only nine interceptions. A move for Prescott would be one of the biggest in Steelers' history, but if Prescott continues to produce in 2024, the 2025 offseason could be intriguing.
The Cowboys signed Prescott to a four-year, $160-million contract in March of 2021, but Dallas seems hesitant to once again pay top-quarterback money for a 2-5 postseason record in eight seasons. The aim in Pittsburgh is for the combination of Wilson and Fields to address both the immediate and future quarterback needs of the team. Wilson, at 36 years old, brings Super Bowl experience, and Fields was the 11th overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, but neither is a guaranteed success story. If 2024 turns out worse than the Steelers expected, Pittsburgh could indeed be on the hunt for yet another quarterback.
Steelers Focused On The Task At Hand
The two seasons, 2022 and 2023, following Ben Roethlisberger's retirement, were anything but a smooth transition for the Steelers. Pickett didn't work out, Matt Canada became a historic, in-season firing, and injuries decimated the defense.
There has been a sense of relief in Pittsburgh ever since Wilson and Fields arrived, even though neither one has played a single snap in black and gold yet. Before anyone considers Prescott, Pittsburgh's front office has worked tirelessly to give the 2024 team the best chance at finding offensive success.
The reality is that both Wilson and Fields were available for a reason. Wilson, after multiple Super Bowl appearances and one win with the Seattle Seahawks, couldn't come close to replicating those results with the Denver Broncos. Fields never turned into the franchise quarterback for the Chicago Bears but did show the ability to make plays with his legs as well as through the air.
Pittsburgh is banking on one of the two passers finding the best version of themselves, or at least proving capable of managing Arthur Smith's new offense. With a young, talented offensive line, George Pickens ready to catch passes, and the NFL's most expensive defense, Pittsburgh shouldn't be reliant on the quarterback to do anything beyond not losing games, and both Wilson and Fields should be able to accomplish that.
