Justin Fields has decided to enter free agency for the first time in his career. The former first-round pick will be eligible to hear offers from other teams starting on Monday after Fields did not re-sign with the Steelers prior to the start of the league’s legal tampering period.
Fields can still re-sign with Pittsburgh, but he now has a chance to see if there any better offers/opportunities out there. The Steelers and Fields are open to a reunion, but Fields wants to see what his other options are before he makes a final decision, according to ESPN. The New York Jets continue to be a team that is reportedly interested in Fields.
Last offseason, Fields was acquired by the Steelers via a trade with the Bears to back up Russell Wilson, who like Fields was also brought to Pittsburgh last offseason. Fields got to start the season’s first six games after Wilson re-aggravated a calf injury that he had initially injured just before the start of training camp.
With starting, the 2024 Steelers went 4-2 that included win over the playoff-bound Broncos and Chargers. Fields scored 10 total touchdowns (five rushing and five passing) in those games while throwing just one interception.
In his fourth start, Fields threw for a season-high 312 yards while also rushing for 55 yards and two touchdowns in a loss to the Colts. Fields also ran for two scores in Pittsburgh’s Week 6 win over the Raiders that was ultimately his final start of the season.
Despite his success, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin decided to go back to Wilson ahead of the Steelers’ Week 7 showdown with the Jets. Wilson played well in that game and throughout his first seven starts as the Steelers went 6-1 over that span. But Wilson and the team struggled after that, as Pittsburgh ended the season on a five-game losing streak that included a wild-card playoff loss to the Baltimore Ravens.
During his final press conference of the 2024 season, Tomlin said that Fields showed him enough to warrant consideration to be the Steelers’ starting quarterback in the future. Steelers president Art Rooney II said that the team’s preference was to re-sign either Fields or Wilson. Recent reports suggested that the team was leaning towards re-signing Fields.
The Steelers are reportedly open to considering other options at quarterback, although it’s safe to assume that their preference remains re-signing either Fields or Wilson.
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Author: Bryan DeArdo
March 10, 2025 | 8:30 am
