Any minute, hour, or day now the Pittsburgh Steelers will finally have their starting quarterback for the 2025 season under contract. If various reports are to be believed, the team is leaning towards Justin Fields over Russell Wilson, but clearly there are some negotiations or considerations taking place that have prevented that from happening quite yet.
CBS reporter Aditi Kinkhabwala took to X this afternoon to give an update on both sides of the equation when it comes to Justin Fields and his personal considerations for choosing his 2025 team. That included some “impediments” that could be causing him to drag his feet a little while he weighs options.
“The impediments, as I am told them? 1) There IS a market for him and he could chase money,” Kinkhabwala wrote on X. “2) He has to get past any sting/distrust from this season, when there was a player/assistant sentiment in the building that he return to the starting spot, but Mike Tomlin chose not to do so.”
If Justin Fields wants to affirm he is indeed a starter in this league (and a starter to stay), his best path is to sign with the #Steelers. He is familiar with the offense, he has an offensive staff that absolutely believes in him and he freely told our @NFLonCBS crew how the…
— Aditi Kinkhabwala (@AKinkhabwala) March 7, 2025
On the other hand, the positives are quite obvious. Fields had the best six-game stretch of his career and was positive where it counted in the win-loss column. He also improved nearly all of his passing and efficiency metrics while the Steelers eased him into a fairly narrow game plan. There are coaches and players that believe in him, and he has a chance at continuity, which has been rare to start his career.
Fields rightfully wants a chance to start a full season to show his progression and get his career back on track. He nearly got that in 2024 until Tomlin reportedly went “lone ranger” to replace Fields with Wilson once the latter was healthy enough to play.
Arthur Smith and several of Fields’ teammates were clearly supportive of him during his six-game stint as the starter and even while the changeover was initially happening to Wilson. Fields was playing the best football of his career, so there had to have been at least some sting, as Kinkhabwala described it.
Will that string or distrust cause Fields to at least test the free agency market when the legal tampering period opens on Monday? If it’s even close, the potential for additional money over what the Steelers are offering could be the deciding factor. If he takes it that far, the Steelers may be forced to move on to ensure they aren’t left without a starter for the upcoming season.
Recommended for you