The Pittsburgh Steelers and General Manager Omar Khan did a fantastic job addressing one of the biggest question marks going into the 2024 offseason, the quarterback position. Mason Rudolph and Mitch Trubisky both signed elsewhere, and Kenny Pickett was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles. Pittsburgh acted quick in free agency, signing Russell Wilson before also eventually trading for Justin Fields. The quarterback room is completely revamped, but presents serious concerns for after the 2024 season.
Both Fields and Wilson are only signed through the 2024 season. Wilson signed a one-year deal, while Fields is on the last year of his rookie contract after having his fifth-year option declined. Both quarterbacks have yet to suit up for the Black and Gold, and likely won't see any new deals until after the 2024 season. Wilson has expressed interest in staying in Pittsburgh for the long-term. If he plays poorly or the organization decides they want to get younger at the position however, they could look to re-sign Fields. Insider Mark Kaboly gave some insight to what that might look like during his recent mailbag.
"The Packers gave Jordan Love $13.5 million to keep him around another year, but they were more confident he was going to be their quarterback of the future than what the Steelers feel about Fields after 12 practices in shorts. I don’t think the Steelers would touch that number, but they would have to entice him enough to make him want to sign."
The Green Bay Packers selected Jordan Love in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft, but going into the 2023 season, they didn't have a clue what he would turn into. He sat behind Aaron Rodgers up until that point, and they didn't feel comfortable exercising his fifth-year option. They instead gave him a one-year, incentive laden contract extension. He was with the team for three seasons before that, so they were more confident giving him a larger salary.
Fields has only been with the Steelers for spring practices, and he has reportedly struggled with accuracy. Unlike the Packers, the Steelers likely aren't confident enough to commit $13.5 million to Fields just yet. He is in a similar situation to Love, but Green Bay had way more to go off of when offering Love his extension. Kaboly spoke more about the logistics of offering Fields a new deal.
"Maybe he wants to hit free agency after the season and find a better chance with more money. Remember, there’s always more to these situations than, 'Just sign him.' The player has to want to stay too, and we don’t know about that one way or the other yet."
Fields made his intentions clear shortly after arriving in Pittsburgh, stating that he wants to compete with Wilson for the starting job. Wilson is clearly in pole position to be the starter, per Head Coach Mike Tomlin, but if he struggles, Fields could step in at any point. Pittsburgh will run into an issue if Wilson doesn't play great in 2024, but they don't have an opportunity to see how Fields performs. Then they will be in no man's land, where they won't feel confident offering either quarterback a new contract to return to Pittsburgh.
Steelers Will Need To Entice Fields
If Pittsburgh decides to move forward with Fields following the 2024 season, they will need to find a way to entice him to stay with the Steelers. This could include offering a valuable contract, or guaranteeing the starting job. Fields has a lot of potential, but has struggled to find his footing in the league so far. If he shows improvement throughout the year however, he could earn himself a new deal.
A new contract for Fields would likely be similar to Love's in the sense that there are a lot of incentives for Fields to hit. The annual value of the contract may not be as high, but Fields could bet on himself and sign an incentive laden deal. The better he plays, the more money he brings in. None of this matters if Wilson is exceptional though, and signs a new multi-year deal. That would likely mean the end of Fields' time with the Steelers.
