Steelers owner Art Rooney II addresses future of Russell Wilson, Justin Fields in Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh Steelers owner and president Art Rooney II said Monday “it’s his preference” to sign either Russell Wilson or Justin Fields this offseason.

“They’re both capable quarterbacks, and my preference would be to sign one of them,” Rooney said, via Brooke Pryor of ESPN. “So that’ll be the priority, and I think that will give us the best opportunity to move forward. … We’ve got a whole quarterback room to fill, and so there’s jobs open in there. I wouldn’t be surprised if we look in the Draft as well either this year or next, and so that’s got to be the priority.”

Rooney added it’s “probably unlikely” the Steelers bring back both quarterbacks in 2025.

“I wouldn’t close the door, but I’d say it’s probably unlikely,” Rooney said. “I think both of them see themselves as starters and I don’t know that they want to share the same job again next year. So, I would say most likely we probably don’t wind up bringing them both back.”

Steelers have massive QB question entering 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. Head coach Mike Tomlin named Wilson the starter over Fields coming out of training camp and the preseason, but a calf injury forced him to miss the first six games of the season. Fields led Pittsburgh to a 4-2 record before making way for Wilson. The Steelers won six of Wilson’s first seven starts. At one point, Pittsburgh carried a 10-3 record and occupied first place in a competitive AFC North.

A four-game losing streak to end the regular season meant that Pittsburgh would have to play on the road as a Wild Card against the Baltimore Ravens, who captured the division crown for the second consecutive season. Pittsburgh dropped their sixth consecutive playoff game dating back to 2016 under Tomlin.

There was a common theme throughout the five straight defeats: The Steelers struggled to put points on the board, failing to surpass more than 17 points. 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. He added five rushing scores.

Russell Wilson expresses desire to return to Steelers in 2025

“I thought both Russ and Justin showed promise in certain stretches during the season, and I think they’re both capable of being starters in this league,” Rooney said. “So, we have decisions, and they have decisions, too.”

Speaking on “The Pat McAfee Show,” last Wednesday, Wilson called Pittsburgh a “special place,” and said he would like to play there “for a lot longer.” Wilson added he’s had preliminary discussions with the organization about potentially returning next season.

“Going into Pittsburgh was a special place for me,” Wilson said. “I love it, hopefully I get to play there for a lot longer. It’s a special place because of the guys in the locker room, the traditions, and the people, and the winning, and all of that. Plus, you’ve got Mike Tomlin, who’s arguably the best coach of all time. One of the top ones, just because of who he is and how he motivates us.

“Even through the storm, I think we battled and a lot of that was because of coach Tomlin and who he is and how he makes us prepare.”

Whichever quarterback comes through the building, Rooney hopes it’s under more than a one-year deal.

“It sort of takes two to tango, and so we’ll see where it goes,” Rooney said. “I think my preference would probably be to have something more than a one-year in place next time around, but we’ll see what it takes.”