Steelers Learn Final Price for Justin Fields Trade
The Pittsburgh Steelers will officially send their sixth-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft to Chicago Bears to complete the team’s trade for quarterback Justin Fields this past offseason.
The trade that sent Fields from Chicago to Pittsburgh was a conditional one. If Fields played 51% or more of the Steelers’ offensive snaps, the team would have had to send their fourth-round pick to the Bears instead.
Fields has been dealing with an abdominal injury he suffered while running the ball against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 15. Fields was scratched against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 16 and was the third quarterback against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 17.
In the finale against the Cincinnati Bengals on Saturday, Fields was listed as healthy and available but also didn’t play. Head coach Mike Tomlin confirmed after the game that Fields was available to play, but said that he chose to stick with Russell Wilson for the entire contest.
Fields not playing against the Bengals definitely didn’t have anything to do with his snap count. He ended ups playing 408 snaps, or 36% of the Steelers’ offensive snaps this season. Wilson played 719 snaps, for 64%, and third-stringer Kyle Allen played in two snaps.
Fields and Wilson competed for the starting job in training camp, with Wilson coming out the leader, but when Wilson aggravated a preseason calf injury just before the start of the regular season, Fields was thrust into the starting lineup. He started the first six games of the season, leading the Steelers to a 4-2 record.
He finished the regular season with 161 pass attempts, completing 106 for a career-best 65.8 completion percentage. He threw for five touchdowns and one interception, again setting career highs in interception rate (0.6%), sack rate (9%) and pass rating 93.3.
Now that the Steelers know exactly what they’ll pay for having Fields, they’ll have to decide if they want to keep him. Both Fields and Wilson are set to become unrestricted free agents in March.
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