Steelers Plans for Justin Fields Revealed

The Pittsburgh Steelers have a contract length and role in mind for Justin Fields.

Sep 29, 2024; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Justin Fields (2) throws a pass during the second half against the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images / Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

Time is of the essence for the Pittsburgh Steelers in their efforts to re-sign Justin Fields before the legal tampering period begins on March 10.

At this point, it's rather clear that the Steelers are inclined towards bringing Fields back rather than Russell Wilson.

With plenty of quarterback-needy teams out there who could drive up the 26-year-old's price to an extent that Pittsburgh isn't comfortable matching, however, finding common ground over the coming days has to be priority No. 1 for the organization.

Per Yahoo Sports' Charles Robinson, the Steelers fully intend on ironing out the details of a short-term deal with Fields, though he may not feel as bullish about that idea given how the end of the 2024 campaign played out.

"Pittsburgh, they really want to get something done with Justin Fields that's like a moderate, short-term deal to give him a more realistic run at potentially being their starting quarterback," Robinson said on 102.5 The Game in Nashville. "That might not get it done though, because Fields is sitting there saying I want a clear path to start. I don't want to be here and go through what I went through last year, which was Mike Tomlin deciding Russ [Wilson] is my guy and stubbornly sticking to that."

After guiding Pittsburgh to a 4-2 record at the beginning of the year, Fields logged a minuscule 15 snaps from Week 7 through the team's Wild Card round loss to the Baltimore Ravens once Wilson recovered from a calf injury he initially suffered early on in training camp.

Perhaps Fields is a bit jaded by how the situation transpired, but there's no reason to assume that he'd let those feelings get in the way of a clear path towards the starting job in a familiar environment with the Steelers next season.

If he does return, it's hard to imagine any other player challenging him for the top spot on the depth chart. At the same time though, Fields has all the leverage in contract talks and won't give in while understanding that there's a strong market waiting for him in free agency.

Knowing that the alternative options aren't all that enticing, the pressure is squarely on Pittsburgh as it attempts to retain Fields.

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