For the first time since the Pittsburgh Steelers were eliminated from the NFL Playoffs, Art Rooney II addressed the media with his end-of-season presser. Among the biggest things he was asked about was the state of the quarterback position. Unfortunately, the team president did not give the response fans were hoping for.
According to ESPN's Brooke Pryor, Rooney II's 'preference' is to bring back one of Russell Wilson or Justin Fields for the 2025 season, though he wouldn't hint at which player he would prefer to be on the roster.
"I think they're both capable quarterbacks and my preference would be to sign one of them," Rooney II said during the press conference. "So that'll be the priority and I think that will give us the best opportunity to move forward."
Rooney II also made it clear that he doesn't believe both Wilson and Fields will be on the Steelers next year.
"I wouldn't close the door but I'd say it's probably unlikely," Rooney stated when asked if Fields and Wilson would both return. "I think both of them see themselves as starters and I don't know that they want to share the same job again next year."
Steelers plan for fixing the team is... running it back in 2025
Most Pittsburgh Steelers fans don't pretend to have all the answers. But we all know the definition of insanity is doing the same thing and expecting different results. Perhaps Art Rooney II isn't aware of this saying.
We saw during the final five games of the season that Russell Wilson wasn't enough to get the job done. The 36-year-old quarterback led his team to a 0-5 record in his final five games (including the playoffs) as the offense averaged 14 points per game during this disastrous stretch.
While Fields is a more enticing option of the two thanks to his age and athletic traits, It's not a good sign that the Steelers were willing to pull the plug on him in the first half of the season and never look back. Fields has struggled with accuracy over the years and the team's passing upside is limited when he's at the helm.
Unfortunately, this is the response we all feared Rooney II would give when asked about the team's QB situation. Instead of attempting to make a blockbuster move, the team president it content with giving either Wilson or Fields the job again in 2025.
Rooney II also noted that he would prefer to lock up a quarterback beyond a one-year deal. The only encouraging note is that Rooney II didn't rule out the Pittsburgh Steelers selecting a quarterback in the NFL Draft either this year or next.
For many teams, the offseason is a time to usher in change. But not for the Pittsburgh Steelers. It looks like the plan is to run it back with one of the same quarterbacks who wasn't good enough to bring playoff success this past season.