The Pittsburgh Steelers would like to sign one of their two incumbent quarterbacks to a long-term contract this offseason, president Art Rooney II said during his annual press conference with local beat writers on Monday.
Rooney said the team has decisions to make with both Russell Wilson and Justin Fields as pending free agents, and pointed out that the players have decisions to make as well, but did not tip his hand as to whether he has a preference between the two.
"I think they're both capable quarterbacks and my preference would be to sign one of them," Rooney said. "So that'll be the priority, and I think that will give us the best opportunity to move forward."
Rooney said that he think it's unlikely that the Steelers will sign both of them, and that his preference would be for more than the one-year deal both players played under in 2024.
Pittsburgh Steelers president Art Rooney II during a game on Nov. 8, 2023. — Ed Thompson / Steelers Now
"I think both of them see themselves as starters, and I don't know that they want to share the same job again next year," he said. "So I would say most likely, we probably don't wind up bringing them both back. … I think my preference would probably be to have something more than a one year in place next time around. But we'll see what it takes."
Regardless of whether it's Fields or Wilson, and it seems like it will be one of them, Rooney sees the quarterback position as the No. 1 thing holding the Steelers back from success.
"I think the biggest piece of the puzzle, I keep saying, is, you know, we've got to address this quarterback position and and I think when you look around and you kind of see the teams that are at that next level, you know that's that's where they are, and they're there for that reason," he said. "We've got to work to do."
Rooney said that with an entire quarterback room to fill, the Steelers will also look to the NFL Draft, both in this year's selection and in 2026, to attempt to shore up the position long term.
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Justin Fields is tackled after throwing a pass against the Baltimore Ravens on Jan. 11, 2025. — Ed Thompson / Steelers Now
Asked specifically about Fields, Rooney credited the way he handled his demotion after starting the first six games while Wilson was hurt, and his desire to get better over the course of the season.
"He handled the situation as a young quarterback who wants to come in and grow and I think he did grow," Rooney said. "And I think he does have that mindset that he wants to get better. I think that makes you feel like you want to potentially work with him again in the future."
One change Rooney would like to see is for the Steelers to have two quarterbacks more closely aligned in terms of their abilities. The 36-year-old Wilson and 25-year-old Fields are definitely not capable of the same physical feats at the current stage of their careers, and so a second quarterback may more closely match whoever the Steelers choose as a starter.
Rooney didn't give a timeframe for addressing the quarterback position, but called it the team's top priority after solidifying the coaching staff, so it seems likely the Steelers will try to get a deal done with one of their potential returners at the position before the start of free agency in March.
Aaron Becker provided reporting from Pittsburgh.
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