With Geno Smith getting traded to the Las Vegas Raiders, you can wipe another potential quarterback option off the board for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2025. Free agency is about to begin and Skylar Thompson is the only quarterback under contract for Pittsburgh. Now their fallback plan could get poached in the coming days.
Heading into the final weekend before free agency, NFL Insider Jordan Schultz reported that the Steelers have maintained dialogue between Justin Fields and Russell Wilson. However, Schultz writes that the New York Jets are believed to be the most interested in Fields.
You couldn't draw this up any worse for the Steelers.
Unless Pittsburgh is willing to pay a premium for Sam Darnold—and early signs signal they would not—Fields is the last quality veteran option to turn to at the quarterback position. But if the Jets get into a bidding war with the Steelers, you can kiss Justin Fields goodbye.
Justin Fields will be more enticed by the New York Jets in free agency than the Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers have nobody to blame but themselves. When Mike Tomlin confidently benched Fields for Wilson before Week 7 of the 2024 season, this sent a message to Fields that the team didn't believe he was good enough to bring the success they desired.
The confirmation came amid Wilson's struggles. The Steelers' offense crumbled down the stretch during their five-game losing streak to close the year, but Fields was never called upon for help.
This by itself is enough reason for Fields to steer clear of Coach Tomlin.
Instead of signing a multi-year contract with a team that benched him after a 4-2 record that included 10 total touchdowns and just one interception, Fields could look for a fresh start with first-time head coach Aaron Glenn on the New York Jets. Though the Jets don't have an ideal roster for a quarterback to thrive, Glenn believes in Fields... and that may be the push the quarterback needs.
The fate of Pittsburgh's 2025 season may rest on whether they can outbid New York for Fields services. There's nothing like paying a premium for the quarterback you benched in 2024 and refused to turn to in times of trouble.
The Pittsburgh Steelers couldn't have handled their quarterback situation any worse leading up to free agency. If they wind up with a quarterback worse than Justin Fields in 2025, Tomlin and the Steelers have nobody to blame but themselves.