The Pittsburgh Steelers overhauled their quarterback room this offseason by signing Russell Wilson and trading for Justin Fields while trading away Kenny Pickett and letting Mitchell Trubisky and Mason Rudolph go in free agency.
While the team has a completely new quarterback room this year, the same could happen in 2025. Neither Wilson nor Fields are under contract for the 2025 NFL season, though the Steelers did have the choice to pick up Fields’ fifth-year option.
Pittsburgh didn’t want to keep staring that $25 million decision in the face as the 2024 NFL Draft looms, though, and the team decided to do something about it. They won’t be picking up the former No. 11 overall pick’s option for the 2025 season, according to a report from Adam Schefter.
“League sources do not expect the Steelers to pick up the $25 million fifth-year option on quarterback Justin Fields, whom the team acquired last month for a conditional 2025 6th-round pick. Fields and Russell Wilson both now will be entering the last year of their contracts,” Schefter said.
The team might not be picking up his option, but that doesn’t mean they’re not excited to have Fields in the building.
“He oozes talent and potential,” head coach Mike Tomlin said of Fields earlier this offseason. “He’s worn the responsibility of being a franchise quarterback, but still he gets an opportunity to come into a community-like situation and learn from a guy that’s been doing it for over a decade. Man, there’s a lot of meat left on that bone. Man. I’m just excited about working to be a part of extracting it.”
Fields and Wilson will reportedly compete for the starting job – though Wilson will have “pole position.”