Steelers Predicted to Lose QB Justin Fields

The Pittsburgh Steelers are expected to lose one of their two starting-caliber quarterbacks.

Oct 28, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Justin Fields (2) watches the action during the first quarter of a game against the New York Giants at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Barry Reeger-Imagn Images / Barry Reeger-Imagn Images

PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Steelers came into the season with two quarterbacks, but only viewed one as their starter in 2024. After a calf injury to Russell Wilson, that didn't end up being the case, but a rocky scenario, they found they have two gems at the position.

Fields finished his run as the Steelers QB1 with a 4-2 record and put Pittsburgh in first place of the AFC North with Wilson returning. Since then, the team has gone 3-0 with Wilson looking like the Super Bowl-winning quarterback he once was.

Now, everyone is wondering what happens after the season. Fields is only 25 years old and has plenty of time left in the NFL - most likely as a starter. Wilson is 36 years old but looks like the quarterback Pittsburgh needs right now. And with him leading the way in 2024, it's expected he'll do the same in 2025.

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler gathered a list of the top upcoming free agents and detailed that, around the league, Fields is viewed as a "low-level starter" and could get a deal like Baker Mayfield or Sam Darnold in the offseason.

The Fields experiment in Pittsburgh can be classified as a success; he played steady if unspectacular football in six games as the starter, winning four of them. So a return can't be completely taken off the table at this point. But Russell Wilson's quality play since taking over the job could force Fields to look elsewhere," Fowler writes. "Fields can follow the models of Darnold and Baker Mayfield, who recently signed one-year deals with teams in need of veteran quarterback help and excelled with good supporting casts."

The Steelers will likely only keep one of the two moving forward, and Wilson appears to be the favorite. If something drastic changed throughout the year, or this magical run finishes with Wilson sailing off into the sunset as a champion in Pittsburgh, Fields is the top "next choice."

It's not a bad place to be when you have two starting-caliber quarterbacks on the roster. But while they have both now, chances are they won't next season.

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