The Pittsburgh Steelers probably aren’t going to keep both Justin Fields and Russell Wilson into the 2025 campaign, which means one of them is likely on the way out of town sooner than later — either via a trade ahead of the NFL’s November 5 deadline or during free agency next spring.
Whoever goes will most likely do so come March of next year, as Pittsburgh is on a bye week and likely more focused on adding a wide receiver than subtracting a QB — even one it recently benched in favor or Wilson, who at that point had yet to take a regular-season snap in 2024.
Bradley Locker of Pro Football Focus suggested on Oct. 30 that one of the two quarterbacks is likely gone by next year, adding that the Las Vegas Raiders could be a landing spot for Fields if the team doesn’t draft a rookie QB in the first round next April.
“It would be logical for Pittsburgh to keep either Wilson or Fields as a baseline starter, but probably not both,” Locker wrote. “Las Vegas could opt to sign a cheaper free agent like Sam Darnold or Justin Fields.”
If the Steelers are liable to part with Fields regardless, then doing so ahead of the deadline could make sense in order to acquire another player and/or to stack draft capital for 2025. Fields is in the final season of his rookie contract and will become an unrestricted free agent in March if he doesn’t ink an extension before then.
However, given Wilson’s age (he turns 36 years old at the end of November) and his injury history, the Steelers are more likely to hold onto Fields unless a monster offer they can’t refuse comes along.
And despite Fields’ status as the No. 11 overall pick in 2021, he isn’t likely to garner a massive return after Pittsburgh benched him ahead of Week 7 despite a 4-2 start that included 10 total TDs against just 1 INT.
