Pittsburgh Steelers QB plan: NFL insider reveals where Justin Fields, Russell Wilson stand with team

The Pittsburgh Steelers have an organization-defining decision to make with its quarterback room this offseason.

With both of last season’s starting QBs — 36-year-old Russell Wilson and 25-year-old Justin Fields — currently free agents following a roller-coaster first season in Pittsburgh, the Steelers are weighing their options about which could potentially return in 2025. ESPN insider Jeremy Fowler revealed where the Steelers front office currently stands in that decision-making process on Friday afternoon’s SportsCenter.

“I do know there’s some sentiment in the building for bringing back Justin Fields and that both sides – Fields and the Steelers – are open to a potential reunion,” Fowler said Friday. “Fields wants a realistic shot to start. He wants a clear path to be the guy the whole season, which he was not last year. But this is a supply and demand issue. Because you have five teams picking in the Top 10 of the draft and they all can’t get (a quarterback), there are only so many free agent quarterbacks, so Fields will have some options elsewhere.”

Fowler makes it a point to acknowledge that “both sides” are open to Fields returning to Pittsburgh, while a return to the Steelers appears to be a much more one-sided desire on Wilson’s part. Because of that, Fowler suggested the Las Vegas Raiders and New York Giants — two of those QB-needy teams with Top 10 picks — could be better fits for Wilson.

“I know Wilson wants to come back to Pittsburgh, that’s probably his first priority at this point, but you look at the Las Vegas Raiders, maybe he can reunite with Pete Carroll?” Fowler continued. “The New York Giants I’m hearing are a potential sneaky team for Russell Wilson. So both quarterbacks are going to have options. But their first choice is probably the Steelers, and the Steelers are going to have to make that call over the next month.”

Steelers face massive QB question entering 2025 offseason

Last offseason, the Steelers acquired Fields from the Chicago Bears and signed Wilson to a one-year deal following his release from the Denver Broncos.

Longtime Pittsburgh head coach Mike Tomlin named Wilson the starter over Fields entering the regular season, but a calf injury forced Wilson to miss the first six games of the season. Fields subsequently led Pittsburgh to a 4-2 record before giving way for Wilson as the Steelers won six of Wilson’s first seven starts for a 10-3 record and first place in the AFC North.

But a four-game losing streak to end the regular season forced Pittsburgh to play on the road as a Wild Card against the rival Baltimore Ravens, who captured the division crown for the second consecutive season. The Steelers would go on to lose its sixth consecutive playoff game dating back to 2016.

There was a common theme throughout the five straight defeats: Pittsburgh struggled to put points on the board, failing to surpass more than 17 points in any of those games.

Wilson, 36, finished his 13th season in the NFL throwing for 2,482 yards, 16 touchdowns and five interceptions on 63.7% passing. Fields, 25, passed for 1,106 yards, five touchdowns and one interception with a 65.8 completion percentage, and added five rushing scores.

On3’s Nick Geddes contributed to this report.