The Pittsburgh Steelers are rapidly approaching an unofficial deadline, the start of free agency in 2025. By next week, the organization really needs to make a decision on the direction they want to go at the quarterback position. With both Russell Wilson and Justin Fields currently set to hit the market, Pittsburgh could lose out on both their in-house options if they don't act quickly. That is, assuming they view one of them as a realistic option to make them contenders next season.
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Steelers' Russell Wilson and Justin Fields warming up before a game.
Many reports out there have been going back and forth on whether or not the organization prefers Wilson or Fields, while some are even suggesting that the Steelers actually would be best off targeting a young signal-caller in the 2025 NFL Draft. It appears that the candidate of choice from much of Steeler Nation would be Fields, as he does possess an athletic skill set and in theory, the highest upside of the available options.
Former NFL running back, and Pennsylvania native, LeSean McCoy was very blunt when sharing his opinion on The Facility via FS1 about Fields as a starter at the professional level.
"Why would you be keeping Fields other than to make him a backup or give him a clipboard?" McCoy said on Steelers re-signing Fields. "Or to give him a package to run the ball here or there? He can't play, can't throw, he don't win. Explain to me, from a good franchise and a good coach, why the hell would we keep him?"
That is definitely some harsh criticism towards Fields, which is definitely eye opening since McCoy is a former All-Pro running back who has played with some top quarterbacks during his time in the league. However, it is likely a bit of an unfair criticism.
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Justin Fields while a member of the Chicago Bears.
Fields definitely has fallen short of his expectations after being selected 11th overall in the 2021 NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears. He has a 14-30 career record in the NFL and has been inconsistent in his ability to read the field and be a consistently accurate passer. However, most of that came during his time in Chicago, which didn't do much better in 2024 after they moved onto Fields and used the first overall pick to select Caleb Williams last season.
During his lone season in Pittsburgh, Fields held a 4-2 record as a starter before being benched in Week 7 for Wilson, proving that he can win some games in a better situation. During that stretch, he completed 66.3% of his passes, threw for 5 touchdowns to 1 interception, with a quarterback rating of 93.9. If he would have kept up that level of play across all 17 games, he would've set career highs in basically every category as a passer.
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Steelers' Justin Fields looks on during the Chargers game in Week 3 of 2024.
There is definitely still a lot of room for improvement for Fields as a passer, and one could reasonably expect that there would be some level of improvement if Fields were to remain with the Steelers for a second season. Having his second season in Arthur Smith's offense, an offensive line that should be better in 2025 with a healthy Troy Fautanu, and an improved wide receiver core, assuming Omar Khan and company don't swing an miss in back to back offseasons, all should help Fields continue to improve his performance.
Steelers Need To Be Proactive Going After A Wide Receiver
After putting a lot of effort into trading for Brandon Aiyuk in 2024, Khan can't afford to put all his eggs in one basket again and come up empty. The wide receiver options in 2025 were expected to be better than 2024, but the Steelers still have their hands full as many of the top options will be a struggle to obtain.
The top free agent option, Tee Higgins, has been franchise tagged by the Cincinnati Bengals, which unofficially eliminates him as an option for the Steelers. In addition to Higgins, there is a lot of belief Chris Godwin will return to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. That being said, the Steelers will need to be aggressive this free agency to land another proven target for whoever they decide to start behind center in 2025.
Do you agree with McCoy that Fields can't throw and can't win? Let us know in the comments below!
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