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Report: Steelers Decline Justin Fields Fifth-Year Option
The Pittsburgh Steelers will not pick up Justin Fields's fifth-year option.
PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Steelers are not expected to pick up quarterback Justin Fields's fifth-year option, leaving 2024 as his final season under his rookie contract, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.
The Steelers acquired Fields in a trade with the Chicago Bears this offseason, adding the quarterback in exchange for a conditional sixth-round pick. He's viewed as competition for Russell Wilson, but isn't expected to start in 2024.
Fields could remain in Pittsburgh longer than this season. The team could still extend his contract despite not picking up his fifth-year option, and at just 25-years-old, keeping Fields around seems like a logical expectation for the Steelers.
Fields is 10-28 as a starter in the NFL but comes to Pittsburgh with plenty of help. Head coach Mike Tomlin has said multiple times throughouth the offseason that he's excited to see what working with Wilson will do for Fields's game, as this is the first time he has a proven veteran in front of him on the roster.
Fields has already started impressing his teammates at offseason workouts and despite not being viewed as the starter, should be a leader in his first season with Pittsburgh.
