When the 2024 season first started it looked like Justin Fields finally found a home and a starting job in the process. He started the year 3-0 and then 4-2 before Russell Wilson replaced him as the starter.
He flexed his leadership not pointing fingers and even taking the blame when the Pittsburgh Steelers announced Wilson was making his season debut. And he’s taking it on the chin, not letting that affect his composure with the team.
But while he’s taken the high road, he could be wishing he’d had the chance to continue to lead the Pittsburgh Steelers offense. He becomes a free agent at the end of the season and with Wilson giving Mike Tomlin no reason to make a quarterback change again, it could affect his chances to be a starter in Pittsburgh or even elsewhere.
We’ve seen quarterbacks move on and find a better situation than they left and Fields was able to do that, but because he was replaced and probably won’t have a chance to prove he can be a starter on another team the rest of the year, it could ultimately hurt his chances at a pay day this spring.
Justin Fields should still get paid this offseason, even if it means he’s out of Pittsburgh
Though Fields lost the starting job in Pittsburgh, he should have no problem earning his keep. The trend in the NFL is shifting away from putting stock in an undeveloped rookie quarterback and recycle a young veteran.
Fields was one of those players that got a chance to grow elsewhere and he showed he’s worth for a struggling team to take a chance on this offseason. Though he played six games this year and wasn’t overwhelmingly dominant in those games, he’s not a bad player to take a chance on.
For one, he would be cheap because he wasn’t necessarily as good as Wilson’s been in his three starts this year. And sure, he should be able to earn more money down the road, I think if you’re a team like Carolina or Cleveland, you take a chance and hope he can become like Baker Mayfield.
The money will come. And I don’t think Fields is worried about getting paid. He’s more in line with proving he is a starter in the NFL. And we’ve seen enough from him this season to say he deserves a chance.
Unfortunately, he won’t be able to force a bidding war if Pittsburgh believes he can be their guy in a couple years or so. But that’s the risk he’ll take if the Steelers bring back Wilson. Fields should be a hot commodity this offseason with several teams facing quarterback problems.
For him, he just won’t quite collect the sizable check he may deserve because he’ll most likely be Wilson’s backup the rest of the season.