After losing their last five games, the Pittsburgh Steelers have many questions to answer this offseason regarding how to stop the playoff drought. Under Head Coach Mike Tomlin, the Steelers haven't won a playoff game since 2017 against the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Divisional Round. It's a frustrating drought for fans as the team shows promise each season only to collapse and underperform in the end. For 2024, part of the losing streak could fall on Russell Wilson as he couldn't do enough and fans are starting to hop on the Justin Fields train again.
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Steelers' Russell Wilson and Justin Fields warming up before a game.
Tomlin switched to Wilson before Week 7 after Fields led the team to a solid 4-2 start. Tomlin's decision proved to be a good one for a bit as Wilson opened up the passing game more and went 6-1 in his first seven starts. Three games in 11 days didn't help the team late in the season, but Wilson started to show regression and slow down an offense that was showing much promise.
Wilson didn't perform well enough against the Baltimore Ravens in the Wild Card Round to secure the starting spot for the 2025 season. Steeler Nation is calling for Fields to take the starting job again and he just very well might. Steelers insider Gerry Dulac stated in his Pittsburgh Post-Gazette article that after all that has happened with Wilson, Fields is the most likely choice for next season.
"But, with the way the season ended with five consecutive losses and a disconnect existing with offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, that deal might not materialize," Dulac said. "Wilson was brought here to help end the playoff victory drought, and it didn’t happen. Bringing in another veteran quarterback does not make sense."
There's no doubt that Wilson has a great deep ball, but other than that, there's not much else to say about the 36-year-old quarterback. A report also came out after the season ended that Wilson and Offensive Coordinator Arthur Smith had some disconnect during the season, but tried to work through it. This comes as a surprise as earlier in the season, Smith revealed him and Wilson spent more time together to work on the offense.
Both Fields and Wilson are free agents and can either re-sign with Pittsburgh or find another team. Wilson was believed to be the starter in 2025, but after not performing up to the standard, his future in Pittsburgh is up in the air. Tomlin was asked if he believes Fields could take the starting job during his last press conference of the 2024 season, and he certainly thinks so.
Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers' Justin Fields runs against the Eagles during Week 15 of the 2024 NFL season.
Fields is still 25 years old and showed signs of improvement during his six-game starting period. He made opposing defenses plan for his throwing and running game, making the offense a little more dangerous. Re-signing Wilson won't help the team as he doesn't have many years left in the league, and he clearly showed he can't run and get out of the pocket anymore.
The Steelers will certainly need to build around whoever they sign as their quarterback. There's not many great free agents this offseason and the 2025 quarterback draft class isn't deep. Fields would be the smartest answer for the team and will have more years to show if he's the answer for Pittsburgh or if the organization will look to draft its next franchise quarterback.
Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers wide receivers pose for a picture during practice in 2025.
Steelers Need To Get More Wide Receivers During The Offseason
With reports of the Steelers potentially moving on from George Pickens, they need to figure out who and what they want in the wide receiver room. Besides Pickens this season, there wasn't much depth behind him. Calvin Austin III showed his moments, but he can't fully carry a WR1 role.
Besides Pickens' antics, he has tremendous talent on the field. Entering the last year of his contract, some fans wonder if Pickens should be traded to get some value from him. However, he's the best wide receiver on the team and an ideal strategy would be to build around him if he cleans up his behavior. He's grown up a bit, but not enough to satisfy everyone. A lot needs to be done this offseason and all eyes will be on Tomlin and General Manager Omar Khan.
Would you agree with the Steelers if they went with Fields over Wilson next season? Is there someone else out there to be the starting quarterback in Pittsburgh? Let us know in the comments!
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