Steelers Might Be Forced To Look At This Surprising "Best Option" Among Quarterbacks Still Available In 2025

Pittsburgh Steelers fans got increasingly upset as the weekend before free agency wore on, and no deal was done with quarterback Justin Fields. Fans had been told they should expect a deal to get done since the Steelers were the only team allowed to negotiate with him before the legal tampering period. However, as the weekend ended, the reports were not working in the Steelers' favor, saying Fields was choosing to explore free agency, perhaps hoping for more money or a guaranteed starting job. 

Fields agreed to a contract with the New York Jets for two years, $40 million with $30 million guaranteed. Ray Fittipaldo from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette said in his recent chat column that it might have been too rich for the Steelers' blood, especially the guaranteed part. However, he acknowledged the pickings are getting pretty slim. The odds-on favorite is now Aaron Rodgers, even though Steelers brass was adamant they wanted to bring back either Fields or Russell Wilson for 2025. 

The New York Giants are also currently courting Rodgers and it has fans worried; if they lose out on Rodgers, then what? Go with Wilson, who will know he wasn't even the second choice? The other names out there aren't much better now that Sam Darnold and Daniel Jones have both agreed to sign elsewhere. It led a fan to ask Fittipaldo about this "fiasco." He called Rodgers a "nightmare" and wondered if they should sign Wilson or look at Jameis Winston or Joe Flacco. 

"Am I the only one who thinks Flacco might be the best of their options among the names you mentioned," asked Fittipaldo when presented with Wilson, Winston, or Flacco as the choices for the Steelers' 2025 starting quarterback."

Flacco is well known to Steelers fans because he was the Baltimore Ravens quarterback for a decade in the mid-2000s. He helped them win a Super Bowl, and Lamar Jackson ultimately replaced him. Now 40, Flacco has spent the rest of his career bouncing around the NFL, most recently with the Indianapolis Colts. 

He surprised many in 2023 when he was pulled off the Cleveland Browns practice squad after Deshaun Watson suffered a season-ending injury. Flacco had to step up in Week 13 and start when backup Dorian Thompson-Robinson sustained a concussion. He performed so well that he remained the starter for the rest of the season. By Week 16, he'd had three consecutive games with more than 300 yards passing. He helped the Browns secure a playoff sport for the first time in three years. 

Flacco and the Browns faced off against the Houston Texans in the Wild Card Round, and despite having a strong start to the game, he threw two pick-sixes in the third quarter, and they lost. However, Flacco was rewarded with the NFL Comeback Player of the Year Award for his efforts. 

While with the Colts, he stepped in Week 4 against the Steelers when Anthony Richardson was injured and helped lead them to victory. Flacco and Richardson flip-flopped as the starters for the remainder of the season, ultimately falling short of playoff contention.

Does Steelers' Mike Tomlin Get The Blame For Losing Justin Fields?

As soon as fans realized Fields was lost to them, fingers were pointed, most of them at Head Coach Mike Tomlin. He is taking the blame for "benching" Fields for Wilson after Fields had six mostly successful weeks starting. 

However, others say you can't be benched from a job that wasn't yours to begin with. The Steelers traded for Fields so he could back up Wilson and be an insurance policy in case Wilson got hurt, and that's exactly what happened. Tomlin didn't make any promises that he would later break. 

While it is fair to say that Fields was slowly improving in Pittsburgh, he wasn't putting up the kind of numbers that necessarily warranted $30 million guaranteed, according to Fittipaldo. 

What do you think about the idea of Flacco coming to Pittsburgh? Comment below!

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