Steelers rumored decision on Russell Wilson, Justin Fields will baffle fans

It can be difficult to wrap one's head around the Pittsburgh Steelers' 2024 season. There was not a single team following a remotely similar arc.

Justin Fields began the season under center and won four of six games, only to hit the pine in favor of the more experienced Russell Wilson once the latter recovered from a preseason calf injury. For a while, that appeared to be the right decision — Wilson won six of his first seven games as a Steeler — but in the end, Pittsburgh collapsed.

The Steelers went from 10-3 to 10-7, then suffered a Wild Card round blowout at the hands of their division foes from Baltimore. Wilson lost five straight to end the season, committing two interceptions and three fumbles over that span. All of a sudden, Wilson went from the runaway favorite to start under center for Pittsburgh in 2026, to a quarterback on the outs.

Of no help was the reported rift between Wilson and Arthur Smith, the Steelers' new offensive coordinator. Both were professionals, but their rocky relationship could be the nail in Russ' coffin as far as Pittsburgh is concerned.

As of now, the expectation is that Fields will get the QB1 job next season, per Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Both Wilson and Fields are free agents, and it's likely an either-or decision for Omar Khan's front office. Fields, being a decade younger and quite sharp in his six starts with Pittsburgh last season, is the favorite.

Steelers expected to re-sign Justin Fields, let Russell Wilson walk

This was always the "right" decision. It would've been the right decision at the beginning of last season, especially after Fields went 4-2 out of the gate and looked meaningfully better than his Chicago days. The Steelers deferred to Russ out of respect for his career accomplishments, but Wilson's mounting limitations bit him in the end.

Fields' upside at 25 years old is considerable. Every NFL scout is praying for a dual-threat quarterback these days. He still doesn't have the most electric arm, but Fields is a singular running threat at QB. He can extend plays outside the pocket, improvise under duress, and torch defenses with his speed to the outside. Let Fields gather steam in the open field, and few runners are more difficult to bring down.

Pittsburgh never should've made the switch after Fields, by all accounts, impressed coaches with his command of the offense and leadership skills. Wilson has a certain cachet to his name, but there's a reason the Denver Broncos ate so much dead money to get him out of the building. Hopes of Wilson returning to Pro Bowl form and leading Pittsburgh to the promised land were always misguided. That 6-1 stretch was exciting — a lot of us felt compelled to eat our words — but we all should have known, when the lights got bright and the clamps tightened, Wilson just didn't have it.

The Steelers are always going to win games and finish above .500 under Mike Tomlin. It's a fact of life. What the Steelers can't seem to do under Tomlin right now is win playoff games. I am not sure Fields is the man to end their postseason cold spell, but he's a far more compelling long-term bet than Russ, whose career is hurling toward its conclusion.