Fowler: Justin Fields Has Edge Over Russell Wilson In Steelers’ FA Plans, Sam Darnold Not Ruled Out
While general manager Omar Khan didn’t commit to one of Russell Wilson or Justin Fields over the other as the Steelers look to figure out who their quarterback in 2025 will be, reports out of the NFL Combine indicated that Fields was the favorite to return. ESPN insider Jeremy Fowler confirmed as much in his news and notes column on Sunday morning, writing that Fields has the edge, although the Steelers haven’t ruled out bringing Wilson back.
“The sense I get is that Justin Fields has an edge over Russell Wilson in Pittsburgh’s pecking free agent quarterback order. There is sentiment for Fields in the building, and both sides would be open to a return. The Steelers have at least another week to crystallize those plans, and they certainly haven’t ruled out Wilson at this point.”
With Minnesota Vikings QB Sam Darnold also expected to hit the market, Fowler wrote that he wouldn’t rule out the Steelers as a potential suitor for Darnold.
“The Giants, Raiders and Titans are among the logical options. And I’m not totally discounting the Steelers here — not yet, at least.”
Khan said on Tuesday that the preference for the Steelers is to keep one of Fields or Wilson, and he also said ideally, the Steelers sign one of them before the new league year begins on March 12, with the legal tampering period opening two days before that. The problem is that it takes two to get a deal done, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if Fields wanted to test his market in free agency with a few quarterback-needy teams and a weak quarterback draft class.
Darnold led the Vikings to 14 wins, but it was his first really productive season in the NFL since being drafted in 2018, and he struggled in Minnesota’s final two games, including their Wild Card Round playoff loss to the Los Angeles Rams. There’s a legitimate question of whether or not Darnold can replicate his 2024 success again, but that’s a risk teams are going to have to take if they want to sign him.
Even with Pittsburgh’s preference being to bring back Justin Fields or Russell Wilson, if they both hit free agency, the Steelers will likely assess all options and it’s not out of the realm of possibility to see them get in on the Darnold market at that point. With the Giants and Raiders both being open to a veteran quarterback after their pursuit of Matthew Stafford, they’re both teams that could push for Darnold as well.
The quarterback speculation will continue until the Steelers make a decision, and it doesn’t sound as if a decision is imminent. But it could certainly come in the next week-plus, with the new league year just 10 days away and the Steelers wanting to avoid the prospect of a bidding war to keep one of their own quarterbacks.
