The Pittsburgh Steelers have a decision to make at quarterback this offseason, and all signs point to them re-signing one of their top two signal-callers from last year. At the NFL Scouting Combine, Steelers general manager Omar Khan said his goal is to get a deal done with either Russell Wilson or Justin Fields before the start of free agency, per ESPN.
Khan said that the Steelers have spoken with both quarterbacks, and that he believes both have interest in returning as well. This was the expected course of action all along, as Steelers president Art Rooney II said last month that his preference was re-signing either Wilson or Fields.
Fields started the 2024 regular season with Wilson sidelined due to a calf injury. The former Chicago Bear went 4-2 as the starter while playing some of the most efficient football of his career. Fields finished the regular season having completed a career-high 65.8% of his passes for 1,106 yards, five touchdowns and one interception, plus five more touchdowns on the ground.
Mike Tomlin made the controversial decision to replace Fields with Wilson in Week 7 when the veteran was fully healthy. It appeared to be a great decision early on, as Wilson won six of his first seven starts, but he finished the season losing five straight — including the 14-point loss to the rival Baltimore Ravens in the wild-card round. Wilson averaged just 194 yards passing per game in his final five starts with the Steelers.
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has reported that Rooney prefers to re-sign Wilson, while Tomlin would rather go with Fields. Interestingly enough, Khan said on Tuesday that the quarterback the Steelers re-sign could affect what kind of wide receiver the team will look to add in free agency.
Both quarterbacks could have other suitors in free agency, as Wilson’s former head coach, Pete Carroll, is now the lead man for the Las Vegas Raiders, while Fields is a 25-year-old with evident upside.
