Justin Fields Has One Demand to Return to Steelers
Steelers quarterback Justin Fields reportedly has one demand if he’s going to re-sign with Pittsburgh, and that’s a realistic shot to start. That wasn’t the case last season when Russell Wilson was in pole position to start and eventually replaced Fields in Week 7 after he recovered from his calf injury.
If the Steelers bring in a quarterback like Aaron Rodgers or Matthew Stafford, Fields most likely will move on from Pittsburgh.
“This one’s complicated because I do know there’s some sentiment in the building for bringing back Justin Fields,” Jeremy Fowler of ESPN said on SportsCenter. “Both sides, Fields and the Steelers, are certainly open to a potential reunion. Fields wants a realistic shot to start. He wants a clear path to be the guy for a full season, which he was not last year.”
Things were seemingly going well for Fields in 2024. The Steelers were 4-2 and in first place in the AFC North. Overall, through six games, he threw for 1,106 yards, five touchdowns, and one interception. He also had five rushing scores.
That wasn’t good enough, however. Mike Tomlin inserted Wilson into the starting lineup in Week 7. And that was it. Fields did not start another game in 2024.
Tomlin thought Wilson gave the Steelers the best chance to compete for a Super Bowl. That obviously didn’t come to fruition, as the Steelers were once again one-and-done in playoffs.
Fields could have made a scene about being benched, but he didn’t. He handled the situation like a true professional, and that was noticed around the league, according to Pete Prisco of CBS Sports.
“I think he’s intriguing. He’s only 26. The age is right. He’s also flashed last year at times when he played for the Steelers. I thought he did some really good things. When they put him in packages later in the season, he did some really good things. He never complained. He could’ve complained; he could’ve moaned and groaned about putting the old man in instead of letting him play quarterback, but he didn’t. A lot of people around the league I talked to were impressed by the way he handled the whole situation,” Prisco said.
Fields, who should have plenty of suitors in free agency, seems to prefer to stick with the Steelers. He wanted to land in Pittsburgh last offseason, and Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles respected him enough to grant that wish. Fields has reposted photos of himself with the Steelers on his Instagram twice this week, which could be taken as a sign he wants to remain in the Steel City.
Head coach Mike Tomlin’s comments during his season-ending press conference last month suggest the interest is mutual.
“I think he took (the steps),” Tomlin said. “I think the way he managed his professional circumstance was really impressive. I thought he brought an urgency to his day-to-day work regardless of his role. I thought he got continually better within our system of ball throughout the process. I thought the way that he conducted himself makes that a legitimate thought or idea at this juncture.”
The Steelers would like to sign one of their two incumbent quarterbacks to a long-term contract this offseason, president Art Rooney II said during his annual press conference with local beat writers.
Rooney said that he think it’s unlikely that the Steelers will sign both of them, and that his preference would be for more than the one-year deal both players played under in 2024.