Steelers Expected to Make Surprising QB Decision

PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Steelers are less than two weeks into their offseason and discussions around who should stay and who should go are as loud as ever. Players' contracts are looked at with a magnifying glass, coaches' efficacy is discussed, and who should start at quarterback leads the charge of the Steelers' offseason.

ESPN NFL Insider Jeremy Fowler dug around the league to gauge the temperature on various hot-button off-season topics. One of those was what the Steelers quarterback room will look like next season--a discussion surrounding the Steelers for years. Five quarterbacks have started a game for the Steelers in the last three seasons.

"People around the league are torn about what the Steelers should or will do at quarterback," Fowler writes.

Both quarterbacks the Steelers started this previous season, Russell Wilson and Justin Fields, are free agents. The Steelers' front office will have to make decisions for both. "The Russell Wilson experiment was not a failure -- he showed promise and gave the offense a lift midseason," Fowler writes. "But he was signed to help the Steelers in the playoffs, where Pittsburgh lost in the first round again."

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.

The idea behind signing Wilson was to fulfill Art Rooney II's goal of winning a playoff game. Considering the Steelers did not meet that goal, his average production, and his age, Fowler doesn't think a new contract for Wilson is likely in the Steelers' future because of the other guy in the room.

"Some executives believe the Steelers could bring back Wilson," Fowler writes. "But Fields is 25 -- 11 years younger -- and has an explosive skill set around which the team could build ... at least for one more year."

Fields received a raw deal when the Steelers traded for him. As a former high draft pick and lots of talent, the Steelers had reason to trade for Fields. But the Steelers had signed Wilson, a Super Bowl-winning quarterback. It was obvious Fields wouldn't get a full year to show his skills.

Fields finished with a 4-2 record as a starter this previous season for the Steelers. 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.

Fields showed growth from his time with the Bears in just six games starting for the Steelers. Since the Steelers lost their fifth straight game with Wilson under center and the Steelers offseason has started, the belief that Fields will start week one for the Steelers next season is growing.

Fowler writes, "'I still think this could go either way,' an NFL scouting director said. 'Part of me feels like they bring back Russell. Either way, I expect them to draft a quarterback fairly high. They need someone who can be the answer long term.' The Steelers select No. 21 overall in April, hardly a place to find an elite quarterback in a weaker class."

That's the Steelers problem. They are never bad enough for a lottery pick to draft one of the top quarterback prospects. Their only draft pick inside the top-10 since they drafted Plaxico Burress No. 8 overall in 2000 was Devin Bush with the 10th pick in 2019.

The Steelers have already tried their hand at a late-first-round quarterback when they took Kenny Pickett, the first quarterback off the board, with the 20th pick in 2022. Considering Pickett was traded ahead of the 2024-25 season, it is easy to say the pick did not work out. Now, the Steelers' first pick is one slot later than the one used for Pickett. Will the Steelers not make the same decision in a "weaker" quarterback class?

NFL Mock Draft Database, a website that compiles mock drafts and big boards from around the internet, only projects two quarterbacks to go in the first round--specifically the first three picks. The website did not predict Michael Penix Jr. to the Falcons but did accurately predict the teams of the other five first-round quarterbacks in 2024. If that is any indication of this season's draft, the Steelers may be out of luck when it comes to drafting a quarterback in the first round, even if it is a necessity.

That situation makes Fowler's analysis of Fields sound much more likely. The Steelers need a quarterback. Drafting one sounds great, but it may not make sense considering their pick. Therefore, Fields checks all the boxes as a young, talented, cheap, quarterback that deserves one more year.

If the Steelers do take another swing at a late-first-round quarterback, Jalen Milroe from Alabama, Quinn Ewers from Texas, and Jaxson Dart from Mississippi are names to watch out for.

The 2025 NFL Draft starts Thu, April, 24. The Steelers may wait to sign Fields until after the draft in an effort to disguise their hands and keep their options open, or sign Fields ahead of time and clear up any quarterback concerns. The Steelers decision is still unknown, but predicting it gets clearer as the off-season goes on.

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