If the Steelers sign Justin Fields to a deal this summer, according to a reporter
Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, a reporter covering the Pittsburgh Steelers, does not think the team will sign quarterback Justin Fields to a short-term contract extension this summer.
Fittipaldo responded to the situation on Thursday, “I don’t think so,” according to Matthew Marczi of Steelers Depot, during an appearance on Pittsburgh sports radio station 93.7 The Fan. “I believe quarterbacks simply want to watch how things work out. That, I believe, has been the strategy since March.”
A conditional 2025 sixth-round draft pick was all that the Steelers paid the Chicago Bears in March to get Fields, not long after they had signed veteran Russell Wilson to a cooperative contract. Fields’ fifth-year option was eventually turned down by Pittsburgh, and Wilson became the “undisputed leader” of the Steelers offense well in advance of the team’s summer vacation.
Fittipaldo stated of Fields, “You would want to find out if he could play, and there’s no guarantees.” “You might not know if Russell Wilson does well on the field and maintains his health. Russell Wilson will likely want his money as well, and you may be committed to $13 million for 2025.”
Specifically, Fittipaldo was referencing how the Steelers seemingly don’t want to sign Fields to the type of extension the Green Bay Packers gave Jordan Love last offseason. While the Packers handed Love the figurative keys to the offense ahead of the 2023 campaign, Wilson is on track to start Pittsburgh’s regular-season opener at the Atlanta Falcons on Sept. 8.
“There’s no easy answer to this question,” Fittipaldo added during the segment. “I think in the end, they’re gonna see what goes down in 2024 and then they’ll work feverishly from the end of the season until the middle of March to try to figure out who they’re gonna pay and how much they’re gonna pay them.”
Both Wilson and Fields can hit the open market in March 2025, and NFL insider Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated suggested earlier this week that neither signal-caller “lit the world on fire” during springtime workouts.
From training camp through at least one preseason game, it’s unclear if Fields will have real chances to pass Wilson in the depth chart.
