The Pittsburgh Steelers did not trust Justin Fields to be their starting quarterback in 2024 and it does not appear that the organization’s brain trust is ready to commit to him in 2025. That lack of commitment could cause irreparable damage between the team and the young signal-caller.
Local radio host Andrew Fillipponi is reporting that Field’s reluctance to sign a new deal with the Steelers is because the team will not fully commit to him as their starter next season. Fields and his camp seem to believe the Steelers could add a young quarterback in the draft or another free agent to compete with him for the job in the preseason.
It’s easy to understand Field’s point of view. That’s exactly what happened to him last year when head coach Mike Tomlin opted to switch to Russell Wilson as the team’s starter in the middle of the season. Fields’ statistics were not overwhelming when the team made the switch, but he had piloted Pittsburgh to a quality win/loss record.
The reality for all parties involved is that everyone in this situation needs one another. Fields is not blessed with a ton of options on the open market. The Steelers may well be only franchise willing to give him the inside track on a starting job.
Pittsburgh also needs a quality starter to trigger their offense and the free agent options are not all that appealing. The Steelers could roll the dice on Sam Darnold but he would cost them a massive amount of money. Fields can be acquired for a fraction of that price via free agency.
That’s why reports still suggest Fields has about a “70 percent chance” to return to the Steelers in 2025. The deal makes a lot of sense for both parties. There’s always a possibility that another suitor for Fields could mess things up for Pittsburgh, but the odds are against that at this point in time.