Steelers next step at QB might not involve Russell Wilson, Justin Fields at all

It was abundantly clear that after last season, the Pittsburgh Steelers needed to completely revamp their offense. Kenny Pickett was not it. Matt Canada certainly was not it. Major changes were needed to improve this team's ceiling.

Changes were made, as Arthur Smith is the new offensive coordinator, and their quarterback room looks entirely different with Russell Wilson and Justin Fields in the mix. Things do look better than they were last season, but is that really saying anything?

Both Wilson and Fields mostly struggled throughout the preseason, and look as underwhelming as ever entering the 2024 regular season. Again, their offense should be better, but how high is their ceiling realistically with this quarterback situation?

35-year-old Wilson almost certainly won't be Pittsburgh's long-term solution under center, and there's a good chance that barring an unforeseen breakout, Fields won't be either considering what we've seen from him at the NFL level.

With that in mind, it's entirely possible that Pittsburgh looks outside of the organization for their long-term solution at the quarterback position. One option in particular makes a lot of sense.

Steelers listed as potential fit for Dak Prescott

Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk listed the Steelers as one of seven teams that might pursue Dak Prescott this offseason.

"Between Russell Wilson and Justin Fields, most assume that one will be winning a Water-Pik and the other will be getting fired after 2024. The Steelers could choose to fire both, depending on what happens this year. They cleared out the quarterback depth chart after a playoff berth in 2023. They could do it again. Would they pay Dak market value? Here’s the thing about free agency. Dak could choose to go to a team and a coach for less than market value. After having Jerry Jones try to persuade him for years to take less than he could get elsewhere, Dak could stick it to the Cowboys by choosing to take less from one of their biggest AFC rivals."

This makes too much sense. If the Steelers offense doesn't dramatically improve under Wilson and/or Fields, why keep them around past 2024? They'll both be free agents after the year anyway. If Prescott is actually available after the year, there truly is no excuse.

No, he hasn't done enough to lead the Dallas Cowboys over the top in the playoffs, but Prescott is very clearly a top-10 quarterback in the NFL. He led the league with 36 passing touchdowns in 2023 and finished second in the MVP voting. Would that kind of addition not be a major upgrade in Pittsburgh?

Giving Prescott top dollar in free agency might not be ideal, but there isn't a better option out there. Assuming the Steelers once again find a way to finish just above the .500 mark, they'll be picking too late in the first round to select one of the best quarterbacks in this upcoming draft. Franchise quarterbacks aren't just available on the trade block too often either.

A Prescott extension with the Cowboys is still very possible, but if he actually does test free agency, why can't the Steelers sign him away? They might have to outbid the Cowboys, but considering how little urgency they've shown to retain him, Dallas might be fine with letting him go after the year.