© Jamie Sabau-USA TODAY Sports
Insider: Steelers Expected to Extend Justin Fields
The Pittsburgh Steelers hope to keep Justin Fields and Russell Wilson under contract into the future.
PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Steelers will reportedly pass on Justin Fields' fifth-year contract option when the deadline hits at the beginning of next month, but they don't want this to be his only year in the Steel City.
In fact, Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post Gazette believes the Steelers want to keep both Fields and Russell Wilson in-house for multiple seasons. While both are facing free agency next season, Pittsburgh is hoping to avoid that.
"What they will do is, I think you will see them give [Justin Fields] a contract extension of at least two years to keep him around," Dulac said during an appearance on the Steve Jones Show with Steve Jones, a radio host based in central Pennsylvania who covers primarily Penn State. "They didn't bring him in for a one-year trial. And with Russell Wilson, the idea, both from Russell Wilson's part and the Steelers' part, is that they will sign him to a longer contract this season."
An extension for Wilson was expected by Dulac for some time, barring an on-field disaster that forces the Steelers to turn to Fields. But this is the most confidently anyone in local or national media has spoken about a new contract for Fields.
I think you're going to see both of these guys get some kind of deal," Dulac said. "And I think with Justin Fields, it might even happen before the season starts. Get that contract extension to lock him up and make sure there's no free agency departure next year. That's certainly the intent."
"That's certainly the intent," seems to be the operative phrase. Both players will have to prove worthy of new deal's that will, in all likelihood, bank them more money. Part of the advantage of adding Fields and Wilson was their accompanying price tags. The Steelers got value at quarterback so they could spend remaining cap space elsewhere.
But those cheap contracts are only worth as much as the product on the field and Dulac says, while the idea is for the Steelers to keep these two quarterbacks around for the long-haul, they will need to see some results on the field before any final decisions are made.
"Both of those acquisitions, they're not one-year rentals," Dulac said. "They're planning on going forward with both of those guys unless the Russell Wilson would just bomb out and show that he has nothing left."
