PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Steelers are again on the quarterback crossroads. Neither Russell Wilson nor Justin Fields is beneath contract for the 2025 season, leaving the Steelers’ quarterback cabinet naked. With a weak quarterback draft class and lackluster free company class, the choices to replenish it are restricted.
Earlier this week, crew proprietor and president Artwork Rooney II mentioned he would like to signal Fields or Wilson, and he acknowledged it is unlikely the crew indicators each.
“I feel each of them see themselves as starters, and I do not know that they wish to share the identical job once more subsequent 12 months,” Rooney mentioned. “So, I might say most probably we in all probability do not wind up bringing them each again.”
He additionally mentioned the crew would look to the 2025 or 2026 drafts for a quarterback.
Poised to enter the offseason with out a clear-cut starter for the third time within the 4 seasons since Ben Roethlisberger’s retirement, the Steelers are authoring the most recent installment of a “Select Your Personal Quarterback Journey” sequence that no group needs to put in writing.
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Journey 1: Re-sign Fields, draft a mid-round QB
Primarily based on the Steelers’ historical past and studying between the traces of Mike Tomlin’s and Rooney’s end-of-season information conferences, this appears the most probably consequence.
Although Fields went 4-2 in his six-game stint because the Steelers’ starter, there seems to be loads of untapped potential within the former first-round decide. Fields operated in a system designed largely for Wilson, one that did not absolutely unlock Fields’ finest qualities as a runner. The Steelers performed conservatively with Fields beneath middle, typically opting to restrict turnover prospects as an alternative of throwing the ball extra.
“He dealt with the scenario, I feel, as a younger quarterback who needs to return in and study and develop, and I feel he did develop and I feel he does have that mindset that he needs to get higher,” Rooney mentioned. “That makes you are feeling such as you wish to doubtlessly work with him once more sooner or later.”
Fields, 25, is a decade youthful than Wilson. Tomlin and Rooney acknowledged age is an element.
“I believed that the way in which that he managed his skilled circumstance was actually spectacular,” Tomlin mentioned. “I believed he introduced an urgency to his day-to-day work no matter his function. I believed he obtained regularly higher inside our system of ball all through the method. I believed the way in which he carried out himself makes {that a} legit thought or thought at this juncture.”
As a result of Fields does not have Wilson’s expertise or résumé, he’ll additionally possible price much less, becoming extra according to the Steelers’ observe file of enterprise choices.
Previous to drafting Kenny Pickett, the crew signed Mitchell Trubisky, additionally a former Chicago first-round decide, to a two-year, $14 million deal. With a skinny quarterback draft class and free agent group, Fields’ worth might be greater out of demand, however he may nonetheless command between $10 million to $15 million per 12 months. By comparability, Sam Darnold performed the 2024 season on a one-year, $10 million deal in Minnesota, whereas Gardner Minshew signed a two-year, $25 million contract with the Raiders in 2024.
Rooney mentioned Monday he most popular to signal the quarterback to a multiyear deal.
By not overspending in cap house or draft capital on the place, the Steelers can deal with different areas of want, starting with the offense. Earlier than signing a quarterback, the Steelers are poised to enter the 2025 season with roughly $37 million in cap house.
With George Pickens, Calvin Austin III and Roman Wilson the one broad receivers beneath contract for the 2025 season, the Steelers have a evident gap. The cap house saved by going with Fields as an alternative of Wilson may enable them to compete in a free agent class that features Tee Higgins, Keenan Allen, Amari Cooper and Chris Godwin.
Signing Fields, although, solves simply half of the equation. The second piece entails choosing a quarterback with one of many crew’s mid-round picks to be the 2025 backup. The Steelers have eight alternatives within the draft, starting with the No. 21 general decide. They’ve one decide every within the first 5 rounds, no sixth-round choice and three seventh-round picks. Rooney mentioned Monday that he needed to construct a quarterback room of gamers with comparable talent units, making Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe the obvious match to reflect Fields’ skills. Milroe, although, may ascend to be a first-round decide, and the Steelers have too many different must justify utilizing a first-round decide on a quarterback with Fields already beneath contract on this situation.
If Milroe goes early, the next-best choice is Ohio State quarterback Will Howard, offered he additionally does not transfer up draft boards. Although he added simply 226 dashing yards in his lone season with the Buckeyes, Howard is an skilled dual-threat expertise and a extra productive runner than his numbers counsel. He rushed for 57 yards on 16 carries within the nationwide championship win in opposition to Notre Dame along with finishing his first 13 move makes an attempt. There is not any consensus on Howard’s draft projection, however he checks a variety of packing containers in a world the place the Steelers follow Fields.
Journey 2: Re-sign Wilson, draft a mid-round quarterback
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There’s extra to it than swapping Fields for Wilson on this hypothetical. Due to his Tremendous Bowl expertise, Wilson would possible command a bigger contract than Fields.
Although Wilson’s manufacturing drastically dropped off over his closing 5 begins, he confirmed a capability to raise the offense with a extra sturdy passing recreation in his first six begins.
And although he bears duty for a few of the most evident errors, such because the fumble in opposition to the Baltimore Ravens, the mismanagement of the ultimate drive in opposition to the Cincinnati Bengals and a handful of interceptions, Wilson’s shortcomings did not exist in a vacuum.
Not solely did Wilson play with out Pickens in two of these closing 5 losses, however the Steelers lacked the broad receiver depth to switch Wilson’s favourite goal. With Wilson’s cap hit possible consuming up extra space than Fields’, it will be harder for the crew to pursue the top-tier free agent receivers. As a substitute, the Steelers may add a first-round broad receiver within the draft similar to Ohio State’s Emeka Egbuka or they might goal barely extra reasonably priced free brokers similar to Darius Slayton or Stefon Diggs, who’s coming off an ACL tear. They may additionally re-sign Williams with a clearer plan to combine him into the offense.
The offensive line, which allowed 33 sacks in Wilson’s 11 begins, additionally by no means performed at full power within the 2024 season. First-round decide Troy Fautanu, who was competing with 2023 first-round decide Broderick Jones for the beginning proper sort out job, battled a coaching camp damage and performed only one recreation earlier than touchdown on season-ending injured reserve. With Fautanu out, Jones spent one other season at proper sort out regardless of Steelers common supervisor Omar Khan expressing a need to maneuver him to left sort out. As a substitute, Dan Moore Jr., a pending free agent, continued to start out at left sort out and gave up a league-worst 16.5 sacks.
Wilson, subsequently, might be extra profitable in a second 12 months with the Steelers if the offensive line begins its 2023 and 2024 first-round picks as meant with Jones at left and Fautanu at proper. The Steelers may additional assist Wilson by both drafting a guard or signing one in free company to shore up the inside of the road with guard Isaac Seumalo coming into the ultimate 12 months of his contract and Mason McCormick having an inconsistent rookie season.
Ought to the Steelers follow Wilson, they might additionally have to marry him with a mid-to-late-round decide with an analogous talent set to keep away from repeating a few of the points that stemmed from having quarterbacks with totally different strengths in 2024.
With that in thoughts, the Steelers may have a look at Ole Miss product Jaxson Dart. Although Dart has a much bigger body than Wilson, he has comparable arm expertise and a knack for throwing the deep ball. He threw for 4,279 yards in 2024 and led all FBS quarterbacks with 10.8 yards per try and 11.53 air yards per try. He might be an choice within the third or fourth spherical.
Journey 3: Draft a first-round quarterback, re-sign Kyle Allen
On this situation, maybe essentially the most unlikely, the Steelers swing huge this 12 months.
With a void at quarterback and a weak draft class on the place, the Steelers have been in a equally powerful spot coming into the 2022 season. That 12 months, the Steelers not solely signed Trubisky on the primary day of free company, however in addition they took the primary quarterback off the board with Kenny Pickett on the No. 20 spot.
Two years later, neither participant is on the roster.
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Earlier this week, Rooney mentioned there wasn’t a lot to be discovered from the expertise of drafting Pickett, whom the crew traded to the Eagles after signing Wilson.
“Clearly, it is disappointing that Kenny did not work out to be our long-term quarterback right here, and I am unsure there’s so much to be discovered from that,” Rooney mentioned. “We simply have to take a look at the following alternative and ensure we do a very good job evaluating it the following time round.”
The Steelers, although, may stand to study just a few issues from the failed Pickett experiment. Even earlier than they chose Pickett, they put their quarterbacks in an ungainly place by signing Trubisky. The veteran was privately handled because the crew’s QB1 from the day he signed, however in drafting a first-round quarterback and publicly conserving the door open for him to start out, the Steelers made Trubisky a lame duck. Although he began the primary 4 video games after profitable a pseudo-training camp competitors, Trubisky performed conservatively and the offense was stagnant as he aimed to restrict errors reasonably than danger a giant play. That resulted in Pickett being swiftly thrust into the beginning job at halftime of Week 4 with out spending an offseason with the first-string unit.
Ought to the Steelers draft a first-rounder this 12 months, they will place themselves for a greater consequence by clearly — and publicly — defining the roles within the room. Allen, a seven-year veteran, is the backup and mentor to the rookie. The earlier the rookie can take over the beginning job, particularly behind a succesful offensive line, the higher.
Milroe may fall to the Steelers at No. 21, and although he has a excessive ceiling and Lamar Jackson-like traits, inconsistencies in his passing recreation make him a dangerous decide with different urgent wants to deal with.
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To land a extra NFL-ready participant, the Steelers must make a far riskier transfer in giving up important belongings to leap quarterback-needy groups on the prime of the draft. That will possible imply parting with a mixture of T.J. Watt, Pickens or one other influence participant along with a package deal of picks that features subsequent 12 months’s first-rounder. Groups with the primary three picks — the Tennessee Titans, Cleveland Browns and New York Giants — all want quarterbacks. Giving up a king’s ransom to snag one of many first two picks this 12 months may land the Steelers both Miami product Cam Ward or Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders.
Along with his calm demeanor and electrical playmaking, Ward is projected to be the most effective quarterback on this 12 months’s class. Not solely did he file an FBS-best 39 landing throws, however he additionally had simply seven interceptions and threw for greater than 4,000 yards. He additionally posted a 93.3 fourth-quarter QBR and helped his crew to a pair of comeback wins.
Like Ward, Sanders’ poise was additionally spectacular with 11 go-ahead landing passes in his closing season. Sanders was proper behind Ward in on-field manufacturing, throwing for 4,134 yards and 37 touchdowns.
