Steelers Will Likely Return Justin Fields, But Aren’t Out Of Options

It’s another Pittsburgh Steelers offseason, which means it’s another offseason of contemplating how to escape the league’s mushy middle without blowing up the whole project.

This year, that means making some quarterback decisions. After moving on from Kenny Pickett last year, the Steelers signed Russell Wilson, who was injured at the time, and traded for Justin Fields from the Chicago Bears.

>READ MORE: HOW RUSSELL WILSON ENDED UP WITH STARTING JOB

Look, the Steelers made the playoffs with a sparkling 10-3 run to begin the season, riding the performances of Fields (4-2) and Wilson (6-1). But Pittsburgh – and Wilson – would go on to drop their last four games and enter the playoffs as the seventh seed, being wiped out of the first round easily by the Baltimore Ravens. Wilson threw for under 150 yards twice in that four-game losing streak and maintained a QBR between 30 and 40.

While general manager Omar Khan said at the NFL Combine that all options remained on the table, the organization is reportedly leaning towards Fields. He’s ten years younger, for one. His stats aren’t significantly better than Wilson’s, but he’s presumably an easier bet – more mobile, more upside and without the unfortunate track record that Wilson brought from Denver.

Fields passed for 1,106 yards in six games this year, including five touchdowns and one interception. He also rushed for 289 yards and five more touchdowns, demonstrating his mobility as a prominent asset.

If they don’t opt for Fields, an option in the trade market is the Seahawks’ Geno Smith, who has one year left on his deal and has proven upside. More likely, though, is the Steelers re-signing Fields this offseason as a stopgap and working to fill the quarterback need through the Draft. One particularly interesting name for Pittsburgh is Jaxson Dart from Ole Miss, whose athleticism fits him well into the Steelers system. Pittsburgh is reportedly interested, but their Draft will depend on the needs they’re able to fill right now.

Former Steelers quarterbacks Ben Roethlisberger and Duck Hodges agreed with the choice of Fields on Roethlisberger’s Footbahlin podcast.

“Whether you want to bring someone else in, let’s see what he can do in a second year of an offense,” Roethlisberger said. “There’s some familiarity. He’s had a new system every year. He may be more comfortable. Obviously, we’re not taking into account contracts and all that kind of stuff. I’d like to see what Fields could do in another year.”