The Pittsburgh Steelers’ quarterback plan in recent years hasn’t been, well much of a plan. They’ve been putting a Band-Aid on the position, signing veterans past their primes to be their starter. However, they took a swing on a young player in 2024 with Justin Fields. While Fields only spent one season in Pittsburgh, he played alright in limited action. He’s still under contract with the New York Jets, but Mike Florio wonders if the Steelers could reunite with Fields if he becomes a free agent.
“Let’s see if they sign someone,” Florio said Thursday on his Pro Football Talk podcast. “What if the Jets cut Justin Fields? They owe him $10 million this year. The Steelers offer him the one-year veteran minimum and Fields realizes, ‘No one’s paying me more than $10 million, I’ll go back to Pittsburgh on the minimum.’
“What if they do that? They wanted to keep Justin Fields last year. Of course, they said they wanted to keep Russell Wilson, too. But I really think they did want to keep Justin Fields. They just weren’t gonna pay him $20 million a year.”
The Jets had an awful 2025 season, going 3-14. Fields received a lot of flak, too, although his season doesn’t look terrible. He started nine games, going 2-7 and throwing for 1,259 yards, seven touchdowns, and one interception. However, he got benched multiple times, and with only one year left on his contract, the Jets could opt to move on.
Would a reunion with Fields make sense for the Steelers, though? Maybe, but it seems unlikely. Florio is correct that the Steelers said that they wanted to retain Fields last year. However, based on how his 2025 season went, they were right not to give him as much money as the Jets did.
Also, the Steelers’ coaching staff is almost completely different compared to when Fields was last with them. With Arthur Smith and Mike Tomlin both gone, the Steelers have less familiarity with Fields. Quarterback coach Tom Arth is still with the team, though, so perhaps he’d vouch for Fields if the team is interested in bringing him back.
If Fields is released, the Steelers could land him on a cheap deal, which is a point in his favor. They could get a similar deal done with Kyler Murray, though. The two have similar play styles, and Murray has shown more than Fields in his NFL career.
Perhaps Fields could be a fallback option if Murray doesn’t want to come to Pittsburgh. However, Aaron Rodgers is the quarterback the Steelers are targeting.
Therefore, he’d need to decide not to re-sign with them in order for the team to move on to other options under center like Fields or Murray. There’s no telling if the Jets will release Fields, either. It’s an interesting scenario, and perhaps the Steelers could pursue Fields in the right scenario. He shouldn’t be near the top of their list of potential starting quarterbacks, though.
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