When the Pittsburgh Steelers entered the 2024 offseason, many changes were made to the quarterback room. Former Steelers quarterbacks Kenny Pickett, Mitch Trubisky and Mason Rudolph all went to different teams. It was a much needed reset for the organization as the quarterback situation wasn’t working out after future Hall of Fame quarterback Ben Roethlisberger retired after the 2021 campaign. The team brought in veteran Russell Wilson and former first-round pick Justin Fields during the 2024 offseason.

Although Fields started the season with a 4-2 record, Wilson took over the starting job in Week 7. Both the Steelers’ franchise and quarterbacks will have a decision to make during the offseason about their potential futures in Pittsburgh.

Wilson has mainly been linked to reports saying he was looking for a deal to stay in Pittsburgh. Although he’s had his good moments, Wilson has also made costly mistakes in-game that have hurt the team. His age is also a concern for the Steelers, as he’s a quarterback who doesn’t have many years left in him, and it’s quite clear he can’t run like he used to.

Fields’ future in Pittsburgh is more up in the air. There haven’t been as many reports on if he is looking for a new deal or not. Roethlisberger expressed on the “Footbahlin With Ben Roethlisberger” podcast that he’d like to see Fields stay in Pittsburgh for another year. Kevin Gorman of TribLive spoke with Fields directly about his future in Pittsburgh, and he revealed his thoughts moving forward in a Saturday morning article.

“I want to be here,” Fields told Gorman. “I’m kind of tired of learning a new offense every year. This will be my third in four years. Of course I’d love to be back, but that’s all up to God at the end of the day. I’ll be where God wants me to be.”

Fields didn’t have the best experience with the Chicago Bears. He was quickly moved into a starting quarterback role for a fan base that was hungry to win. The team didn’t have the right weapons for him and coaches didn’t help Fields out. It was a lot of pressure for Fields trying to be the new franchise quarterback in Chicago when fans didn’t fully support him, either. Fields needed a fresh start, and Pittsburgh gave that to him.

During his six-game stretch, Fields threw for 1,106 yards, and throughout the season, even after getting moved to back up Wilson, he has still used his legs and rushed for 289 yards. His legs are a weapon, and Fields could easily get out of the pocket to either make a throw or run it himself. Fans were concerned about his throwing ability, but Fields has had a true opportunity to finally learn under a veteran quarterback for most of the season.

Fields and Wilson have been seen talking and smiling on the sideline together, showing they have a good relationship. It’s never easy to start a season well and then be replaced as the starting quarterback, but Fields said that he has taken this time to learn and grow as a quarterback.

“Russ has been great,” Fields said. “Of course, his job is not to mentor me. But anytime I have a question for him, anytime I ask a question he gives me his thoughts on that. I’m always picking his brain on different things.”

Wilson has also spoken highly of Fields throughout the season. He’s known to be a supportive and positive teammate, which will help any player. It’s a great situation to have when a team has two capable, starting quarterbacks who want to be in Pittsburgh. 

It’d be ideal if the Steelers chose to keep both players and see what happens next season, but head coach Mike Tomlin came into this season wanting Wilson as the starter, so he may be swayed to keep Wilson over Fields if it came to that.

Fields would be the ideal quarterback moving forward

Wilson has been great for the Steelers and has shown major improvement for an offense that has been stale the past few seasons, but in terms of the future, the Steelers need to really consider going with Fields. Once Roethlisberger retired, a whole new era began in Pittsburgh. It’s always rough for an organization to lose its franchise quarterback and start over, but it needs to be figured out early on so the team isn’t set back for seasons to come.

Fields is still 25-years-old and has a lot to prove in this league. His running is his strongest ability, but he said in the article that he knows his arm strength is just as important. The Steelers started 4-2 with Fields, so who knows what would’ve happened if he started the rest of the season? It’s a big decision for the Steelers’ organization, but knowing Fields wants to be back in Pittsburgh, even after watching from the sidelines for most of the season, is a great sign.