Steelers have plans beyond this season for Justin Fields

The Pittsburgh Steelers acquired Justin Fields from the Chicago Bears on what essentially amounts to an expiring contract. Unless an effort is made to re-sign Fields, either during the season or next offseason, the talented 25-year-old can take his ball and play somewhere else.

There has been a constant barrage of speculation ever since the Fields trade was announced. He is slated to start the season as Russell Wilson's backup, but there's no telling how long that will hold. The Steelers want to win, but it's been a few years since Russ consistently won football games. Fields obviously has far more potential in the long run, and Pittsburgh is in no position to ignore the future for the present.

Fields could have made $25.7 million on his fifth-year contract option in 2025, but the Steelers declined it. That is simply too much for an unproven QB. Still, that won't prevent the Steelers from negotiating with Fields and hammering out a more team-friendly deal that cements him as the QB of the future — or at least a QB of the future.

Steelers insider Gerry Dulac, speaking on The Steve Jones Show, said he expects Pittsburgh to ink Fields to at least a two-year contract. He expects it to happen sooner than later, too.

"What they will do is, I think you will see them give [Justin Fields] a contract extension of at least two years to keep him around. They didn’t bring him around for a one-year trial. And with Russell Wilson, the idea, both from Russell Wilson’s part and the Steelers’ part, is that they will sign him to a longer contract after the season." (Gerry Dulac, via The Steve Jones Show)

So, it sounds like Pittsburgh could keep both of its quarterbacks around after the season. Given the relative lack of success during the Kenny Pickett era, the Steelers surely want to establish some level of continuity and stability moving forward.

Steelers expected to extend Justin Fields before the season

Fields has earned more faith than his trade value — a meager late-round pick swap — would indicate. Despite his many flaws, Fields is 25 years old with three years of NFL starting experience under his belt. He battled through injuries last season, but still showed meaningful growth as a decision-maker and thrower.

It's hard to find athletes of Fields' caliber at any position, much less QB. He's a legitimate dual-threat weapon, putting constant stress on the defense with his ability to roll outside the pocket and create with his legs. If Fields' arm talent can catch up to his live-wire mobility and explosive runs, he is going to start and perform at a high level for many years.

The biggest hurdle for Fields is still limiting mistakes. In addition to missing targets and floating too many passes, Fields led the NFL in sacks in his sophomore campaign (55) and racked up 44 sacks in 2023, despite missing four games to injury. He relies on his legs to a fault, often missing obvious checkdowns and freestyling until the pocket collapses in on him. Fields needs to learn to make the simple plays and sharpen his processing speed.

Ideally, Russ is an appropriate teacher. We shall see. Fields deserves patience, though. He's only a year older than projected first-round picks Michael Penix Jr. and Bo Nix. He has time to grow beyond his current reputation, and the Steelers will sure hope that Fields can show progress and deliver a positive return on their exceedingly light investment.