The Pittsburgh Steelers badly want to have a quarterback in place before the start of the free agency period on Monday at noon, and they would prefer that quarterback to be Justin Fields , but there has been little traction on a deal that would get Fields under contract before the start of the legal contact period next week.
The Steelers made an offer to Fields' representatives sometime over the last week, but the Steelers and Fields are not particularly close together in terms of the compensation that would be necessary for Fields to forgo hitting the open market to re-sign with Pittsburgh, league and team sources told Steelers Now.
The New York Jets , in particular, seem interested in talking to Fields, as has been widely reported, and there appears to be an interest from Fields in exploring that option.
The combination of interest from New York and the Steelers and Fields not being close together on a contract amount, has led to a growing sentiment in league circles that Fields will test the open market next week. Dianna Russini of The Athletic reported that she expects Fields to do so on Saturday morning.
Steelers general manager Omar Khan has expressed the importance of having a quarterback under contract before the start of the new league year when he spoke to reporters at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis last week.
"In an ideal scenario, you'd like to have this done before the start of the league year," Khan said . "That impacts who you sign. That impacts the type of receiver you may go after or how you build the rest of the team, so all of that has an effect."
Khan and team president Art Rooney II both have said that the club would prefer to bring one of its two incumbent quarterbacks back for 2025, meaning the Steelers could pivot to Russell Wilson if they are unable to reach a deal with Fields before the start of free agency.
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterbacks Justin Fields and Russell Wilson at practice on Oct. 24, 2024. — Ed Thompson / Steelers Now
Perhaps because of some bad feelings within the club from the stories that came out after the season about Wilson's relationship with Arthur Smith , the Steelers have also been aggressive in seeking out information on every other potential alternative, including Sam Darnold and Aaron Rodgers . The Seattle Seahawks have emerged as the late favorites to land Darnold after trading Geno Smith to the Las Vegas Raiders on Friday night. The New York Giants are also reportedly interested in both Rodgers and Wilson.
Team sources told SN that it is not a sure thing that Fields will hit the market, and that it's possible that one part or the other will blink before the Monday deadline.
If not, it's now unclear what Khan and the Steelers will turn to, with locker room and coaching staff sentiment turned against Wilson, and the other options in free agency not appearing to be obvious fits.
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