Justin Fields

Russell Wilson signed a one-year deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers last season, and it seems like his time with the AFC North team may be limited to just that one year.

Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated wrote about the situation Monday and said he feels "Wilson is going elsewhere" this offseason.

"This week some pro-Wilson narratives surfaced, and my sense is that probably wouldn't be very well received by the Steelers as they mull their future at the position," he wrote while also noting the team is interested in bringing Justin Fields back but not as the surefire starter and instead someone who would once again have to compete for playing time.

Fields started the 2024 campaign under center because of Wilson's calf injury, and the former Chicago Bears signal-caller went 4-2 as a starter with 10 total touchdowns to one interception.

However, head coach Mike Tomlin made the switch to Wilson when the veteran was healthy, and it seemed to be the right call when Pittsburgh went 6-1 in the next seven games. Yet the team then dropped the final four regular-season games before losing to the rival Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Wild Card Round.

The Steelers didn't reach the 20-point mark in any of those final five contests and now have a decision to make at the most important position.

"Wilson wasn't an innocent bystander in all of that. His limitations in the dropback game, and throwing the ball over the middle of the field, could only be worked around for so long," Breer wrote. "And so some friction surfaced as the season circled the drain, and the collapse showed that, while the Steelers are consistently in the running, they aren't all that close to the elite."

Fields is just 25 years old, while Wilson is 36. If both have limitations, it makes more sense to bring back the younger one who at least brings his elite running ability to the table, which can add another element to the offense.

There was a time when Wilson was one of the better quarterbacks in the NFL during his peak on the Seattle Seahawks, but he was just 26th in the league in QBR during the 2024 season, per Pro Football Reference.

Signs are indicating the Steelers will move on this offseason, which means he will likely need to find another team looking for a veteran option who could either start or be a bridge quarterback until someone younger is ready to take over.

The Pittsburgh Steelers will have to make a decision at quarterback this offseason, with both Russell Wilson and Justin Fields hitting free agency.

If they choose not to keep Fields, however, don't expect him to be a free agent for long.

"The Steelers have made it very clear they'd like to bring back one of those two quarterbacks. They've spoken to [Wilson], they'll be talking to Fields," ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Sunday. "But there will be a market for Fields. A number of teams interested in him, and we'll see whether or not that includes Pittsburgh."

This article will be updated soon to provide more information and analysis.

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The Pittsburgh Steelers are "still undecided" about whether they'll retain Russell Wilson or Justin Fields as their quarterback for 2025, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport.

The NFL insiders added that "It's possible another veteran QB becomes available that would entice the Steelers from moving on from both players."

Rapoport reported on Dec. 8 that Wilson "appears to be the leading candidate."

At the time, Pittsburgh had gone 5-1 with the 36-year-old as the starter, and he had thrown for 1,626 yards and 10 touchdowns to three interceptions. Re-signing him seemed like a logical move.

A four-game losing streak to end the regular season and a 28-14 loss to the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Wild Card Round put a damper on everything and raised questions over Wilson's value moving forward.

Then came a report on Feb. 4 by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Gerry Dulac about "philosophical friction" between Wilson and offensive coordinator Arthur Smith. The Steelers beat writer cited sources who asserted Wilson's decline toward the end of the year coincided with Smith insisting more that he not change plays at the line of scrimmage.

"Wilson's desire to attack with the pass and throw down the field clashed with Smith's run-first mentality, causing philosophical friction between the two," Dulac wrote.

One criticism of Smith when he coached the Atlanta Falcons was that his offenses lacked a ton of imagination, and he had shown a clear preference to the running game. True to form, the Steelers had the fourth-most carries (533) in the NFL.

Still, it's worth pointing out that Wilson is now a perfect 3-for-3 in terms of feeling like his teams aren't letting him open up the passing game.

That was one of many issues that preceded Wilson's trade from the Seattle Seahawks to the Denver Broncos in 2022. His fit with Sean Payton in the Mile High City was even worse. Now, the same narrative is coming to the fore in Pittsburgh.

Based on Pelissero and Rapoport's report, we can't rule out a reunion between Wilson and the Steelers. That will require he and Smith to get on the same page, though.

There is reportedly some belief that quarterback Justin Fields could potentially re-sign with the Pittsburgh Steelers in free agency this offseason.

According to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, there is a belief that the "door is open" for Fields to return to Pittsburgh, although it is likely that Fields wants to end up in a situation where he has a legitimate chance to start for a full season.

The Steelers acquired Fields in a trade with the Chicago Bears last offseason, and while he started the first six games of the 2024 campaign, he was relegated to a backup role once Russell Wilson returned from injury.

Fowler said he has spoken to many former Steelers players in New Orleans during Super Bowl week, several of whom have told him that there are people in the Steelers organization who prefer to keep Fields over Wilson since Fields is younger and more mobile.

However, it is believed that Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin has a "loyalty" to Wilson, which could result in Pittsburgh re-signing Wilson in free agency over Fields.

Wilson is reportedly open to returning but intends to weigh his options, with the Las Vegas Raiders and New York Giants standing out as potential landing spots if he decides to leave the Steelers.

Fields, who will turn 26 in March, was the No. 11 overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft by the Bears.

He had his fair share of ups and downs in Chicago, going just 10-28 as a starter over the course of three seasons, although he did have one of the best rushing seasons by a quarterback in NFL history in 2022, rushing for 1,143 yards and eight touchdowns.

The Bears traded Fields to the Steelers ahead of selecting quarterback Caleb Williams with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft, and Fields was given a chance to compete with Wilson for the starting job in Pittsburgh.

Wilson won the job coming out of training camp and the preseason, but with a calf injury rendering him unable to play, Fields started the first six games of the season.

Fields went 4-2 in those six starts, completing 66.3 percent of his passes for 1,106 yards, five touchdowns and just one interception, while also rushing for 231 yards and five scores.

The Steelers won Wilson's first four starts upon his return, but they ended the regular season on a four-game losing streak and fell 28-14 to the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Wild Card Round of the playoffs.

Since the Steelers have never had a losing record under Tomlin, they are never in position to take a quarterback high in the draft.

That is the case once again this year, as they own the No. 21 overall pick, which will almost certainly preclude them from landing Miami's Cam Ward or Colorado's Shedeur Sanders.

Because of that, the Steelers will likely have to find their quarterback solution in free agency by re-signing Fields or Wilson or signing an outside option such as Sam Darnold, who is in line to be the top free-agent quarterback.

Perhaps most importantly, the Steelers need to beef up their receiving corps for whoever the starting quarterback is, as no wideout aside from George Pickens had more than 548 yards for Pittsburgh in 2024.

New York Giants fans aren't going to like this one.

Dallas Cowboys star linebacker Micah Parsons said the Giants initially told him they were going to select him if he was available at No. 11 in the 2021 NFL draft, only to trade out of the pick instead.

"They lied to me," he told CBS Sport' Bryant McFadden on Thursday. "People don't know this. They told me if I fell to No. 11 that they was going to pick me. I swear. That's why I punish the Giants every time. It's personal. ... 'Cause when the Cowboys traded back, I was like 'Oh shoot, I'm going to New York.'"

Instead, the Giants traded the No. 11 pick to the Chicago Bears for the 20th and 164th selections in the 2021 draft and first- and fourth-round selections in the 2022 draft. The Bears went on to select quarterback Justin Fields, the Cowboys took Parsons at No. 12 and the Giants selected Kadarius Toney at No. 20.

The Giants then used the 2022 first-round selection from Chicago on offensive tackle Evan Neal. So, in essence, the Giants gave up the chance to draft Parsons in exchange for a pair of fourth-round picks and Toney—who they traded one season later—and Neal, who has struggled enough in pass protection that he wasn't even a starter to begin the 2024 season.

In the wake of Pittsburgh Steelers president Art Rooney II saying this week they can "probably" only keep one of their top two quarterbacks from this season, Justin Fields has his supporters within the organization.

Per ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, there are "some" Steelers officials who "are comfortable" with Fields being their starting quarterback in 2025.

Rooney said both Fields and Russell Wilson are "capable" players, and his "preference" would be to sign one of them:

"That'll be a priority, and I think that will give us the best opportunity to move forward. Obviously, we'll be looking in the draft as well. We've got a whole quarterback room to fill, and so there's jobs open in there. I wouldn't be surprised if we look at the draft, as well, either this year or next."

The Steelers will be looking for some semblance of stability at the position after remaking the quarterback room after the 2023 season. They gave up on Kenny Pickett two years after selecting him in the first round by trading him to the Philadelphia Eagles in March 2024.

That was followed by the acquisition of Fields from the Chicago Bears and Wilson signing in free agency after he was released by the Denver Broncos.

Wilson dealt with a lingering calf injury throughout the preseason and start of the regular season, allowing Fields to open the year as the starter.

Fields went 4-2 with 1,106 passing yards, 231 rushing yards and accounted for 10 touchdowns in six starts, but fumbling issues prompted head coach Mike Tomlin to insert Wilson as the starter in Week 7.

Wilson did play well out of the gate before tailing off as the season went on. His final stat line looks good with 2,482 passing yards, 16 touchdowns, five interceptions and a 63.7 completion percentage, but his 51.3 QBR was 22nd out of 32 qualified quarterbacks.

Fields has yet to prove he's good enough as a passer in the NFL to consistently win games, but his rushing ability does give his offense a high floor that a good coordinator can build around.

The best approach for the Steelers would be to give either Fields or Wilson a one-year deal, then take a flier on a young quarterback in the middle rounds of the 2025 draft to see if they can develop a decent starter.

If that strategy doesn't work, they will be right back in this same spot next offseason and still trying to figure out a long-term solution at the most important position on the field.