Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Justin Fields has been named the upcoming free agent the team can't afford to lose.
The Pittsburgh Steelers have 24 players set to become free agents next week, but they can prevent any of them from hitting the open market by giving them a new contract.
Cody Benjamin of CBS Sports believes there's one player the Steelers must re-sign before that happens: Quarterback Justin Fields.
"They've got in-house replacements for left tackle Dan Moore Jr. , whereas they've got no obvious or enticing succession plan at quarterback, should both Fields and Russell Wilson depart," Benjamin writes .
That seems to be the plan. ESPN insider Adam Schefter said on Tuesday that the Steelers are working to re-sign a quarterback this week and "Fields is first up in the pecking order."
However, that might be easier said than done. The 26-year-old is expected to have several suitors on the open market after throwing for 1,106 yards, five touchdowns and just one interception while leading the Steelers to a 4-2 start in 2024. He also ran for 289 yards and five touchdowns.
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Justin Fields runs during a game against the Indianapolis Colts on Sept. 29, 2024. — Ed Thompson / Steelers Now
It's becoming clear that the Steelers would prefer to have either Fields or Russell Wilson under contract before the new league year begins.
If Fields and his camp want to test the open market to better gauge his value, a return to Pittsburgh might be out of the question.
Fields has been believed to be the frontrunner for most of the offseason because Wilson has made it very clear that he would like to return to Pittsburgh in 2025 . If the Steelers shared that sentiment, a deal would have likely already been done.
Only time will tell who the Steelers will bring back for the 2025 season, but time is running out.
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