Steelers Warned About QB Decision

PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Steelers have once again entered the great unknown. Making headway, let alone treading water, in the NFL without the quarterback room figured out is almost impossible. Every season, coaches, front office members, and even other players lose their jobs because who is under center wasn't working and is a mystery going forward.

Therefore, the Steelers can not wait to make a (hopefully correct) decision at the position.

Steelers reporter Mark Kaboly laid out a six-step plan on X the Steelers could, and probably should, take to accomplish their goal of at least winning a playoff game. If the plan is perfectly executed the Steelers could even strive for more.

Step one of the plan is the most important. " PICK THE RIGHT QB, NOT THE BEST ONE," Kaboly writes.

First, the Steelers have to examine their options. They will most likely bring back either Russell Wilson or Justin Fields. If either player will start at quarterback in 2025, that decision needs to be made as soon as possible. "Whether it is Russell Wilson, Justin Fields, or a free agent from the outside – which is highly unlikely – they can’t even remotely take the chance of letting Fields or Wilson find out what their market value on the outside before making a play on one or the other," Kaboly writes. "If they don’t do that, before you know it Kyle Allen [third-string quarterback last season] will be in pole position of leading the offense."

The Steelers are operating in an offseason where the marquee free-agent quarterback acquisition is Sam Darnold, who started all season for the Minnesota Vikings after rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy was injuried in the preseason. Darnold did lead the Vikings to a 14-3 record, but poor performances in the last two games of the season and the fact he was throwing to arguably the best receiver in the league, Justin Jefferson, and a great No. 2 receiver in Jordan Addison, don't help his case for non-Minnesota teams to pick him up.

So Darnold doesn't make much sense for the Steelers. There aren't any other free agent quarterbacks who are upgrades over Wilson or Fields. So, it's a logical conclusion that either of the 2024 incumbents will be back for the Steelers in 2025.

But like Kaboly said, it's not about picking a quarterback, its about picking the right one.

Wilson was 'technically' the starter all season, and the only reason Fields started six games was an injury Wilson suffered in training camp. Therefore, Wilson's case should be made first.

"You can make a compelling argument for both Wilson and Fields to be the QB1 and you wouldn’t be wrong," Kaboly writes. "With Wilson, the Steelers know what he is – a leader who is at the back end of his career and needs to be surrounded by more talent. If the Steelers provide him with more playmakers, he can turn this offense into what it was midway through last year and potentially better."

The problem is the Steelers have not heavily invested in surrounding a quarterback with talent in years. The Steelers had the cheapest offense in the league last season and the fourth cheapest in the 2023 season. It feels like every week a new 'star' wide receiver is projected to come to the Steelers via trade and then nothing ever comes of the news.

Russell Wilson will be 36 at the start of next season. In his 11 starts with the Steelers, Wilson passed for 2,482 yards, 16 touchdowns, and five interceptions.

Then, there is Fields. Fields did show some promise in those six games, leading the Steelers to a 4-2 record. He passed for 1,106 yards, five touchdowns, and one interception on 65.84% completions. Fields also rushed for 289 yards and five touchdowns on 62 attempts.

"[The Steelers] have a lottery ticket in Fields," Kaboly writes. "Where else can you find a 26-year-old, top 11 pick in the draft with 44 career starts for a cheap price? It’s worth the gamble because it could pay off big. If it doesn’t then what do you lose? The Steelers are going to have a chance to keep only one and the right one could change the direction of what 2025 looks like."

Fields case is more about what the Steelers don't know more than what they do. The Steelers do know Fields was a great player in college, many scouts agreed he was a lottery pick, a franchise actually selected him in the lottery, and he has the physical tools offensive coordinators dream their quarterbacks to have. Unfortunately, Fields's previous team, the Bears, didn't do a lot of winning. Fields' record in Chicago was 11-29. In Fields's six starts with the Steelers, the offense wasn't very productive, but Fields's ability to run opened up a part of the playbook previously closed off to Pittsburgh.

If the Steelers bet on Fields, they are betting on potential--an intangible part of an athlete that is often cited for empowering or disqualifying what they are currently. The simple decision tree for the Steelers is they are likely, not guaranteed, to have a higher floor with Wilson at the helm and a higher ceiling with Fields. Based on recent history, the floor is a first-round playoff exit and the ceiling is unknown. For where the Steelers are, unknown might be better. But they have to make a decision.

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