With head coach Mike Tomlin stating last week that Russell Wilson is in “pole position,” but Justin Fields will have a chance to contend for the starting job, the Pittsburgh Steelers will have two alternatives for their starting quarterback in 2024.
Unless general manager Omar Khan contracts a quarterback to a contract extension before the season, the Steelers will have their starting quarterback playing out the final season this fall, regardless of who wins the quarterback competition at training camp.
In free agency, Wilson accepted a one-year contract with the Steelers that included a veteran minimum. If it isn’t absolutely necessary, it is unlikely that the organization will want to give the 35-year-old further years and guaranteed money at this time.
As Fields is nearing the end of his rookie deal, it doesn’t seem probable that the Steelers will exercise their $25.7 million 2025 option on a quarterback who isn’t expected to start the season.
The Steelers may sign him to an incentive-rich contract extension that might ultimately be worth the whole amount of his option, but only if he plays and plays well, much as the Green Bay Packers did with Jordan Love.
The Steelers do not negotiate during the playing season, so a decision on such a contract will need to be made prior to the start of the 2024 season. Although the team has recently seen many of its long-standing standards abandoned, Khan stated that this one won’t be changing anytime soon.
During the NFL owner’s meetings last week, Khan stated, “I don’t think those certain policies like that one are going to change, regardless of position.”
So the Steelers will have a few months to figure out if they want one of their quarterbacks locked up long term, or if they’re comfortable going into the season with three players all on one-year deals.
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