If the Pittsburgh Steelers aren’t proactive over the next few weeks, they could end up losing quarterback Justin Fields in NFL free agency.
On Monday, February 17, ESPN NFL insider Jeremy Fowler reported that the New York Jets are becoming a “sleeper option” for Fields if he makes it to the open market (via Bleacher Report).
“[The Jets] could have some interest [in Fields] — they like the idea of a dual threat quarterback, he’s younger,” Fowler stated on SportsCenter. “I’m told Fields has looked at that roster, sees some intrigue there too. They have some good young pieces, like Garrett Wilson and a good defense.”
The mutual interest is particularly concerning for the Steelers, who still view Fields as a potential starting quarterback candidate for 2025 and beyond. And to make matters worse, Fowler relayed that Fields “is going to be a pretty hot name” in free agency, generally speaking.
Per the ESPN insider, Fields is still “open to a return to the Steelers” as well.
“He had a good experience there,” Fowler noted. “The belief is that Pittsburgh is also open to that too, but he wants a clean runway to start a full season. He didn’t get that last year. He would like to be the guy wherever he goes.”
The belief is that the Jets would give Fields that opportunity after publicly moving on from Aaron Rodgers — making them a very serious threat to the Steelers in free agency.
Steelers Can Still Retain Justin Fields by Committing to Him Before NFL Free Agency
When it comes to both Fields and 2024 starter Russell Wilson, the Steelers still hold all the cards.
For most of the offseason, it’s been reported that if Pittsburgh were to provide either QB — but not both QBs — with a fair offer to re-sign as the full-time starter before free agency, they’d likely accept. Steelers owner and president Art Rooney II seemingly confirmed that the franchise would prefer to move forward with one of the two as well, although Pittsburgh has yet to announce which one.
Based on that, it would stand to reason that the Steelers could still retain Fields before a team like the Jets ever gets the chance to sign him. They just have to choose to do so, aka commit.
We’ll see if Pittsburgh makes any clear move to do that over the final two weeks of February.
Former Steelers Vet Turned Analyst Warns Pittsburgh to Avoid Franchise Tag When It Comes to Justin Fields
If the Steelers were really concerned that they might lose Fields — while also deciding that they want to move forward with him as the starter — they could always franchise tag him.
However, according to former Steelers cornerback turned analyst Bryant McFadden, this should be the “last-case scenario.”
“You’ve got to find a way to negotiate, most importantly, because the tag for a quarterback is around… $40 million,” McFadden said on CBS Sports HQ. “I think you can get Justin Fields, if you were to extend him, at a lesser rate.”
The current consensus around the league is that McFadden is correct. Fields will not garner a market that gets him anything close to $40 million per year, but it’s still unclear if he’ll make a salary closer to $10 million or $30 million.
Either way, if the Steelers decide they want Fields, they should iron out the details of an extension before the franchise tag deadline. If they’re willing to risk losing him, they could let him test his market in free agency.
