The Pittsburgh Steelers are entering the 2024 season with a brand new quarterback room. They got rid of every single quarterback from the 2023 season in one way or another. They brought in a pair of cheap, low-risk high-reward quarterbacks in Russell Wilson and Justin Fields, along with a quality veteran backup in Kyle Allen. They also brought in an undrafted rookie free agent in John Rhys Plumlee. The Steelers have a lot to figure out with these new quarterbacks, but there's a chance that it could all be for nothing.
Gene J. Puskar / AP Photo
Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson points towards some of his teammates as the offense prepares to run a drill during 2024 mandatory minicamp in Pittsburgh, PA.
Wilson, Fields, and Allen will all be free agents at season's end. The only quarterback that is signed past the upcoming season is Plumlee, but there is no guarantee that he even makes the roster. The Steelers will have to make a lot of interesting decisions on that front between the preseason and free agency in March of 2025. The future of the team is unknown.
However, Andy Weidl has other ideas. During his pre-practice press conference, he announced that their decision on those quarterbacks will not come until season's end.
Andy Weidl on having two QBs on expiring deals: "I think you just let it play itself out. You can't worry about too much down the road.... You watch these guys go out there and perform and evaluate and make decisions. At the end of the season, you'll know."
— Mike DeFabo (@MikeDeFabo) August 15, 2024
There are so many factors that play out in this, but it's never a good situation when you have back-to-back years of completely overhauling the same position group, and that could end up being a possibility here for the Steelers' quarterback room. There is more to it than just three guys on expiring contracts wanting long-term futures, but the whole scenario is not at all ideal for the team.
Sebastian Foltz / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Steelers quarterbacks Justin Fields (2) and Russell Wilson (3) in 2024 OTA practice.
Wilson and Allen were both signed to one-year deals, so it makes sense as to why they won't be extended yet. You don't want to give out an extension to an incoming free agent before the regular season begins. Wilson came at virtually no cost, due to his deal with the Denver Broncos, so he's just looking for a bounce-back season while saving his new team some money. Meanwhile, Allen is looking to eventually move up from QB3 to QB2, which may happen on a different team.
Steelers Pass On Perfect Re-Sign Option
Fields, however, is still on his rookie contract, as he was acquired via trade from the Chicago Bears. The Steelers have expressed a desire to treat him like a prospect, but that's hard to do when he has one year left on his deal, and it's already been confirmed that they won't try to re-sign him until after the season is over. That makes the situation confusing for the Steelers' end.
Sebastian Foltz / Post-Gazette
Quarterback Justin Fields stretches during the Pittsburgh Steelers' 2024 Organized Team Activities.
The Steelers did reject his fifth-year option, but that was just because the number was way too high for someone that would likely be a backup for the team. With next-to-no leverage, the Steelers may have an opportunity to extend Fields for at least another year on a very cheap deal. However, they instead chose to just wait until the season is over and see if they want to continue to work with the Justin Fields project or not.
Every now and then, you'll see a team revamp their quarterback room entirely, but with the Steelers' latest decision, they may end up doing it in back-to-back years. Obviously, they want to keep Wilson and/or Fields if they can shine during the season, but if things don't go well, Steeler Nation may see four new faces vying for the starting spot in 2025.
What do you think about Weidl's decision to not sign any of his quarterbacks to an extension? Let us know in the comments.
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