Steelers Named Favorites to Sign $160 Million QB

The Pittsburgh Steelers appear to have solved their quarterback situation with Russell Wilson and Justin Fields this year. But that doesn’t guarantee anything for 2025 and beyond because neither signal caller is signed past this season.

So, it’s still possible the Steelers are back in the quarterback market this offseason. If that happens, ESPN’s Ben Solak made it no secret which signal caller the Steelers might pursue.

Solak referred to the Steelers as favorites to sign former first-round pick Daniel Jones.

“I can see that future for Jones on a team with far better offensive infrastructure than he ever enjoyed with the Giants,” Solak wrote. “I’ve heard the Jets mentioned, but I don’t really like how that feels; Garrett Wilson and Breece Hall will pull their weight, but what about the offensive line? Who is the playcaller?

“I’m also keeping my eyes on the Steelers (current running favorite), Titans and Browns.”

Despite signing a 4-year, $160 million contract about a year and a half ago, Jones could be available this offseason. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported on November 18 the New York Giants planned to bench Jones starting in Week 12. He will not even serve as the team’s backup going forward, likely because of financial purposes.

“Drew Lock will serve as DeVito’s backup, an indication that not triggering Jones’ 2025 injury guarantee was a central factor in the decision to bench the former No. 6 pick,” wrote Pro Football Rumors’ Adam La Rose.

Jones has posted a 24-44-1 record in his six-year NFL career. He has registered a winning record in just one of his NFL campaigns.

This season, he is 2-8 with a 63.3% completion percentage, 2.070 passing yards, 8 touchdowns and 7 interceptions.

Similarities Between Daniel Jones & Russell Wilson?

There are some interesting parallels between where Wilson was prior to signing with the Steelers and where Jones is now. The Steelers signed Wilson after the Denver Broncos gave up on his 5-year deal worth about $242.6 million.

The Broncos benched Wilson at the end of the 2023 season. Then, they cut him even though that meant paying him close to $39 million to play for another team.

The Steelers took advantage of that situation, signing Wilson to the veteran league minimum. That’s a big reason why Pittsburgh’s cap situation looks favorable in the immediate future.

The dead cap hit for the Giants won’t be as drastic. They will incur a $22.2 million dead cap hit. Jones will then enter free agency as one of the biggest big-money quarterback disappointments of the past two years.

Wilson was arguably the biggest blockbuster trade bust in NFL history for the Broncos.

Could Daniel Jones Serve as Steelers Backup QB?

The similarities between Wilson and Jones, though, pretty much end there.

In addition to being cheap, the Steelers pursued Wilson because of his leadership and Super Bowl experience. He posted nine consecutive winning seasons before his debacle with the Broncos.

Jones may be better with a superior supporting cast, as Solak described, but Jones was probably at least part of the issues in New York. He led the team to the playoffs only once. Jones has never even recorded a 10-win season.

The final seven weeks of the season and potential playoffs will determine what the Steelers do at quarterback in 2025. Wilson and Fields are not guaranteed to return.

But based on the current season’s trajectory, the Steelers are likely to try and re-sign Wilson. If that happens, Jones’ only role in Pittsburgh would be as a backup.

A No. 2 role, though, could be a job Jones will have to accept in 2025.

“It doesn’t have to happen next year for Jones, and it likely won’t,” Solak wrote. “We didn’t know Sam Darnold would have the opportunity he has now in Minnesota until weeks before the season began.

“But this is not the end of Daniel Jones in the NFL, and while my expectations for him aren’t high, I’m confident the next team he plays on will have a better environment for stable QB play than his Giants teams ever did.”