Calling it the “biggest piece of the puzzle that we have to address,” Pittsburgh Steelers president Art Rooney II said determining which quarterback to pursue before the start of free agency will dominate discussions this offseason.
Russell Wilson started the final 11 games of the regular season and the wild-card playoff loss at Baltimore. Justin Fields started the first six.
Both quarterbacks will become unrestricted free agents March 12. Both likely won’t return to the Steelers, Rooney II acknowledged Monday during a 20-minute interview session.
“We have decisions to make there,” Rooney said. “I think both Russ and Justin showed promise in stretches during the season. I think they are both capable of being starters in this league.”
Fields, whom the Steelers acquired in a trade with Chicago last offseason, went 4-2 as a starter before yielding to Wilson, a former Super Bowl champion and nine-time Pro Bowl selection. Wilson won six of his first seven starts, but he also started each game of the season-ending five-game losing streak.
“They are both capable quarterbacks,” Rooney said. “My preference would be to sign one of them. That will be the priority, and that will give us the best opportunity to move forward. We’ll be looking at the draft as well. We’ve got a whole quarterback room to fill, so jobs are open in there.”
The only quarterback under contract for 2025 is Skylar Thompson, a former backup with Miami who was signed to a reserve/futures contract after the season. Kyle Allen, who served as the No. 3 quarterback, also is a free agent.
When the Steelers remade the quarterback room last offseason, they agreed to a contract with Wilson for the league minimum after he was released by the Denver Broncos. They acquired Fields a day after trading former first-rounder Kenny Pickett to Philadelphia.
“Both see themselves as starters, and I don’t know that they want to share the same job again next year,” Rooney said. “Most likely we won’t wind up bringing both of them back.”
Wilson held the “pole position” in coach Mike Tomlin’s words during offseason workouts. Fields took advantage of an injury to Wilson on the eve of training camp to hold the starting job into October.
“He handled the situation as a young quarterback who wants to come in and learn and grow,” Rooney said. “I think he did grow. He has the mindset that he wants to get better. That makes you feel like potentially wanting to work with him again in the future.”
Rooney said age will be a consideration in the Steelers’ decision. Fields, who turns 26 in March, is a decade younger than Wilson.
Rooney also prefers the Steelers have a starting and backup quarterback with similar skill sets. Fields was the more mobile quarterback last year, and Wilson preferred making plays from the pocket. It presented a challenge for first-year offensive coordinator Arthur Smith.
“It’s hard to manage a quarterback room with quarterbacks with different styles,” Rooney said. “Going into next year, I’d like to see us go in with a quarterback room that whoever it is, you have two quarterbacks who can run the same system. I look for that to be something we can build on and for Arthur to build on.”
Other items discussed by Rooney:
• He defended the number of assistants on Tomlin’s staff, refuting reports that the Steelers have the smallest in the NFL. He said the Steelers have 27 coaches. “I just don’t see that holding us back,” he said. “I don’t think that’s our problem.”
• The organization hasn’t decided whether to offer wide receiver George Pickens a second contract, and he wants to see more maturity from him. “George is a very talented player who has room to grow. We’d like to see him grow and, hopefully, he realizes the potential that he has.”
• He envisions the Steelers extending the contract of outside linebacker T.J. Watt, who will be entering the final year of his deal. “T.J. has been one of the foundations of our defense for a number of years. We hope to have T.J. for the future beyond this year.”
