This did not have to be this hard, but here we are... After the first day of the legal tampering period in 2025 NFL free agency, former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Justin Fields is slated to sign with a new team. He goes to the New York Jets to play for Aaron Glenn as Aaron Rodgers' replacement. Fields started a few games last season for Pittsburgh, but apparently he had enough of the franchise.
I may not be the biggest Fields fan, but I can understand the perpetual frustration that had been commonplace with him in his first four NFL seasons out of Ohio State. He was drafted No. 11 overall by the Chicago Bears in 2021. Matt Nagy was gone after his rookie season and in came Matt Eberflus. By the end of his third season, the Bears were so bad that they could draft Caleb Williams, so they did.
Chicago traded Fields to the Steelers on the final year of his rookie contract for a Day 3 pick. Pittsburgh opted to bring in former Seattle Seahawks and Denver Broncos starter Russell Wilson on a veteran's minimum salary to compete with Fields. I always felt that the team like Fields more, but Wilson was given every chance to succeed over him. It is why we have found ourselves in this mess.
It is safe to say that the Steelers screwed up every possible way when it came to retaining Fields.
Pittsburgh Steelers can blame themselves for Justin Fields leaving them
The most logical thing the Steelers could have done is extended Fields upon coming over from the Bears. At the very least, it would have given them some stability at quarterback heading into another offseason. Last year saw the Steelers move on from Kenny Pickett and Mason Rudolph in favor of bringing in Fields and Wilson on expiring contracts. Now look at where this has left the Steelers...
The quarterback market is drying up. It looks like either Wilson will be back on a new deal, or the Steelers may pursue someone like Aaron Rodgers, maybe even trading for Kirk Cousins if they get desperate enough. All signs should point to them drafting a quarterback at some point in the 2025 NFL Draft, but letting Fields go for seemingly nothing is a bad look. What if he is good for the Jets?
And that right there says it all. I am not a fan of the Jets most years and offseasons, but they have done more right than wrong for once. That is not to say that I think they will challenge the Buffalo Bills in division next year with Fields under center, but that the floor has been raised in Florham Park ever so slightly. As for the Steelers, I feel that their ceiling is closer to 10 wins now than it ever was to 12.
Because they did not have the confidence to see what Fields could do in one full year as the starter, it miffed him enough to the point where he was willing to walk away from a team that always finishes above .500 to a team that has not made the playoffs since he was in elementary school! At some point, we have to ask ourselves if the Steelers are still a well-run franchise. They are making it so hard.
The fact I trust New York more with what it is doing in free agency over Pittsburgh speaks volumes.