NFL Writer Predicts Steelers Quarterback Will Receive Extension

The Pittsburgh Steelers have two new quarterbacks to lead the way this season.

Russell Wilson is expected to be the Week 1 starter for the Steelers this season after ending a two-year run with the Denver Broncos over the offseason. The 35-year-old signed a one-year, $1.21 million deal to help bolster the Steelers’ quarterback room and add the veteran presence they’ve been looking for since Ben Roethlisberger retired.

But they didn’t stop there at the position. With Kenny Pickett getting traded to the Philadelphia Eagles, Pittsburgh made a trade to acquire their own former first-round quarterback. They acquired Justin Fields from the Chicago Bears for a 2025 sixth-round draft pick.

Fields isn’t expected to get a look at the position off the bat, but he’s certainly capable of earning himself the job with the dual-threat ability of his arm and legs. The 25-year-old quarterback has a lot to prove but did show some flashes in the 2023 season with 2,562 passing yards, 16 passing touchdowns, 657 rushing yards, and four more scores on the ground through 13 games.

Sports Illustrated’s Conor Orr believes that it will be Fields, not Wilson, who perform this season for the Steelers — to the point that Orr predicts that Fields will receive a contract extension in the offseason.

“Personally, I think Fields started to really come on as a passer,” Orr wrote. “He was better in two-minute situations and still has an excellent touch on the football. I think with time, effort and good coaching, he could round into a consistent top-12 player at the position. That said, he is very much a free agent at the end of this season and has what so many quarterbacks do not: incredible movement skills and the ability to accelerate any offense where the run and pass are intimately tied together.

“Way-too-early-prediction: Fields will re-sign with the Steelers on a Baker Mayfield–style three-year deal at season’s end.”

Fields will jump at the opportunity when he gets in the game. His first chance to really impress the Steelers’ coaching staff will be July 24, when Pittsburgh begins training camp. He’ll also see his first game action with the team on August 9 against the Houston Texans in Week 1 of the preseason.

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