Steelers Reveal Timeline for QB Decision

At the NFL Combine, Pittsburgh Steelers general manager Omar Khan sounded off on the team's thought process at quarterback and how they plan on filling their current hole at the position.

Both Russell Wilson and Justin Fields, who combined to start all 17 of the Steelers' games in 2024, are set to reach free agency. Khan told reporters that it's the team's goal to bring one of them back for next season, though nothing is set in stone given that both are slated to reach the open market.

"I think ideally, we'd like to sign one of the guys we had last year," Khan said. "But the reality is that they're both free agents, so until we get one of those guys under contract, all options are on the table."

Furthermore, Khan stated that Pittsburgh understood having three signal callers with expiring contracts this past campaign would have a major impact on its dealings this offseason, and that it has had recent talks with both Wilson and Fields' camps while looking to sort the situation out.

"The reality is last year we went into this understanding that we had three quarterbacks in the last year of their deal, and here we are" Khan said. "Until we get one of those guys, or two of those guys or some combination of 'em signed up, all options are on the table. Had conversations with both Russ' people and Justin's representatives, and with that we'll see where it goes."

He added that the Steelers would prefer to have a quarterback locked up ahead of the new league year on March 12, as that decision and the player they ultimately choose will impact how the rest of the roster is constructed.

"We'd like to have this done before the start of the league year," Khan said. "Obviously that impacts who you sign, impacts the type of receiver you may go after or how you build the rest of the team, so all that has an effect."

The prevailing belief has been that Pittsburgh prefers to re-sign Fields over Wilson, though the door doesn't appear completely shut on bringing back the latter based on Khan's comments.

Should the team fail to retain either, however, they could turn their attention to trading for a veteran such as Matthew Stafford should he become available, or scour free agency and find a stop-gap.

Make sure to bookmark Steelers On SI to get all your daily Pittsburgh Steelers news, interviews, breakdowns and more!