It appears the Pittsburgh Steelers are choosing not to lock themselves into their current quarterback room. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Steelers are not expected to pick up the $25.7 million fifth-year option on quarterback Justin Fields.
The news comes as a bit of a shock after general manager Omar Khan recently stated that the team would take their time deciding on Fields’ future with the team.
“We know we have until May,” Khan said. “I’ve said this before we have until May 2 to make that decision. So, we’ll focus on the draft this week, and I’m sure we’ll have some serious conversations about that next week.”
The Steelers decided to revamp their quarterback room during the offseason. They brought in former Seahawks legend Russell Wilson to be the starter. They also traded for Fields, the young stud from the Chicago Bears, giving up a conditional 2025 sixth-round pick.
However, by choosing not to pick up the fifth-year option on Fields, now both Fields and Wilson will be entering the last year of their contracts. Furthermore, the projected third-string QB Kyle Allen is also on a one-year deal. That means there isn’t a single QB on the Steelers’ books past this season.
It’s a curious decision, to say the least, by not having a locked-in plan at quarterback for the future. Allen is a journeyman backup. So having him on a one-year deal isn’t surprising. However, both Fields and Wilson are trying to extend their careers as starting quarterbacks. But the hope would be that only one of them will play significantly during the 2024 season.
The Bears hold the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. All the evidence points to them drafting a new QB. So Fields became available and the Steelers scooped him up. The expectation is that Wilson will start and Fields will back him up. $25.7 million is a high price to pay to a guy you are reportedly not expecting to play much in the upcoming season.
From the outside looking in, it appears as if the Steelers are hoping one of them will play well enough to earn a second contract with the team. However, hope is not a great thing to lean on when building a roster for the long term.
The other possibility is that Pittsburgh may like what they see from Fields and are planning to lock him into a shorter, less expensive deal. It could look similar to what the Packers did with Jordan Love. Green Bay did not pick up Love’s fifth-year option after he backed up Aaron Rodgers for three years. Instead, they signed him to a one-year extension before his first season as a full-time starter.
There are a ton of differences between the Love and Fields situations. Fields hasn’t been with the Steelers for three years like Love had been with Green Bay. The Packers also chose to extend Love before his contract was up. It doesn’t seem like Pittsburgh is planning on doing the same with Fields.
We may have to see how the season plays out before Steeler fans have a clear picture of what the QB room is going to look like for the foreseeable future.
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