We heard in March it was highly unlikely the Steelers would exercise the fifth-year option on Justin Fields‘ rookie contract. With the option deadline coming in just more than a week, Pittsburgh indeed appears to have no plans of committing to guaranteed Fields money in 2025.
The Steelers are expected to decline an option that would pay Fields $25.7MM fully guaranteed next year, ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter tweets. Teams have until May 2 to exercise or decline options; this has loomed as one of the more predictable option calls for a bit now.
Fields’ value around the league turned out to be far lower than many expected, as the Bears ended up settling for a conditional sixth-round pick for a player who has proven electric as a runner but inconsistent as a passer through three seasons. Still, the Steelers made it clear upon acquiring Fields, 25, they expect him to begin the season as a backup to Russell Wilson. Mike Tomlin has since pried the door open for competition, but as of now, the trade acquisition is on track to go from three-year Chicago starter to Pittsburgh backup.
Both Wilson and Fields, when the option is officially declined, will be going into contract years in 2024. The former signed for the veteran minimum, barely cutting into the record-setting dead money sum the Broncos face. Fields is under contract for $1.62MM this season. Because Fields never made a Pro Bowl but qualified as a full-time player under the option formula, his option number checked in on Tier 3 of the four-tiered structure that came about when the 2020 CBA ushered in fully guaranteed options.
While the Steelers have both Wilson and Fields in contract years, a March report suggested the team is considering keeping both players beyond 2024. This would be a highly unlikely scenario to pull off, given the starting histories each player brings. Neither would stand to be interested in being an assured backup in 2025. This makes a potential 2024 trade worth monitoring; the Steelers have Kyle Allen in place as their third-stringer presently.
With the team not planning to adjust a negotiating policy that mandates no in-season contract talks, Wilson and Fields will be set to play out their current deals. The Steelers are interested in revisiting Wilson’s pact, for now at least, in 2025. It will be interesting to see how Fields factors into this equation, seeing as he is 10 years younger than Wilson, who will turn 36 this season.
Sounds like Fields stay in Pittsburgh may be one year only with this Steeler move. Could it possibly mean the Steelers will look for a QB of the future in this draft say rounds 3,4,5.
This seems like one of those QB situations of “when you have two, you have none.” An experiment doomed to fail with multiple egos and diverse fan expectations involved.
They have the option to sign fields to a contract beyond next year. So with fields not having much luck in the trade market. I look for the steelers to sign him to a long term deal after the season and cut ties with Wilson. This all was known before the steelers traded for him.
Steelers are trying to get back to the SB in 24. Period. They looked at their QB room and quickly realized they didn’t have that caliber of player to gettem there. Next, they surveyed the NFL QB landscape to see if someone was out there that could get them to the promised land. Oof. A barren landscape indeed. So they defaulted to the guy who was there once … and is cheap.
Fields is only there if Wilson gets hurt … and he’s cheap. IMO Fields doesn’t have the make up to get a team to a SB. He’s a one and done in Pittsburgh.
Barren landscape?
I’ll grant that Wilson came cheap but the guy won one and should have won a second. And while I’m no fan of Cousins, you can’t tell me he doesn’t immediately make a team that much more explosive on the offensive side
Watched a lot of Fields at OSU and with the Bears. You may be right of course, but he’s a gifted athlete who hopefully just needed a change of scenery. The jury is still out on him.
Yep, barren. Funny thing is I’m a Cousins fan. Was at Fed Ex Field back in the day when he came off bench to beat my Ravens when RG III went down with that knee injury. Impressive! Question is; can he win a SB? I say no and for the price to get him, Steelers FO thought the same.
Yeah, but your bottom line in that regard was on target. They got Russ dirt cheap. Easy choice when you still have so many holes to fill
So the Steelers have 2 lame duck QB’s and their HC has this year left on his deal? Is that right?
Man arty you are on the ball…so what’s your point
Tomlin is 7-1 in last 8 games against my Ravens. If Steeler brass wants to cut ties with Mike, fine by me.
They’re already talking about an extension here locally. I like that 7-1 stat but we both know that’s misleading. Hoping they get back to the rivalry that determined AFC Championships. Nice dream
Doesn’t seem absurd to me. Let Wilson ball out for his next contract and go elsewhere. Let Fields spend the year learning the offense and patching up holes in his game, sign him to a longer deal for next year.
I guess I have higher hopes for Fields. All these QB needy teams selecting too far back to pick a top QB and the top three picks belong to QB needy teams so only the Cardinals will look to trade out of fourth spot so many teams will still need a QB next year. No team thought it was worth a sixth round pick and thought it might be worth working with him and giving him a chance?
link to bearswire.usatoday.com
They’re both essentially in “prove it” years. Don’t know why that’s so hard to believe given their immediate pasts. That some are reading this as both being one-and-gone is kind of laughable. Financially speaking, how prudent would it be to sign Wilson for more than a one year contract given his time in Denver, or to extend Fields after his play in Chicago?
I won’t be surprised if one or both are here for a couple years, at least