Justin Fields reportedly rejected Steelers despite their generous offer before signing with the Jets

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler revealed that the Steelers really pushed to sign Justin Fields before the Jets snatched him away to give him a two year contract.

Justin Fields reportedly rejected Steelers despite their generous offer before signing with the Jets

The Steelers wanted to re-sign Justin Fields (Image via IMAGO)

Justin Fields and the Pittsburgh Steelers didn’t click. He was let go after just one season and then signed with the New York Jets. However, according to recently surfaced news, the Steelers tried to re-sign Fields before he decided to move to New York.

In a segment of the Dan Patrick Show, ESPN insider Jeremy Fowler revealed that the Steelers were trying their best to get Fields back as their starting quarterback for the 2025 season. They even put together a contract for him.

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Last week or a week and a half ago, [the Steelers] put together an offer for Justin Fields that I was told was very competitive with what the Jets offered him… But something went off where he chose the Jets, and he must’ve felt the love more from the Jets than he did the Steelers, who benched him for Russell Wilson last year.

Jeremy Fowler said

Fowler didn’t reveal any number but claimed it was enough to lure Fields back to Pittsburgh. However, they failed in their pursuit.

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“I do believe they [the Steelers] were all in on Fields. I don’t know if they had Fields ahead of Rodgers, but they were willing to do Fields. Both sides at one point were open to do it. But it didn’t work out,” Jeremy Fowler added.

Talked to multiple personnel execs who expressed zero surprise at the Jets giving Justin Fields a two-year, $40M deal. He’s smart, a hard worker, and athletic enough to run. Steelers coaches very tangibly improved his footwork and taught him how to see the field better. I’m told the Steelers’ offer didn’t guarantee any money after the first year.

Aditi Kinkhabwala reported

Fields eventually agreed to a two-year, $40 million deal with $30 million guaranteed money with the Jets. He celebrated the announcement by partying in the Middle East.

Justin Fields will find more freedom with the Steelers says quarterback coach

Fields is considered among the best dual-threat quarterbacks in the league. However, the Steelers told him that they would run a more conservative system than he was used to. As a safety measure, they also added veteran Russell Wilson, who is the opposite of Fields. Wilson prefers to stay in the pocket and throw deep passes to his receivers. 

Justin Fields reportedly rejected Steelers despite their generous offer before signing with the Jets
Justin Fields (Image via IMAGO)

After just six starts, the Steelers benched Fields even though he showed flashes of brilliance and won four games for them, contributing 106 completions for 1106 passing yards, 5 passing touchdowns, and one interception, along with 62 carries for 289 rushing yards and 5 rushing touchdowns. Wilson played the remaining eleven games, winning six, reaching the playoffs, only to be knocked out in the wild card round.

Famed quarterback coach Quincy Avery believes that Fields will not find such issues at the Jets under the new management of head coach Aaron Glenn and offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand.

[Justin Fields] threw the ball well with the Steelers. He just didn’t get that many opportunities to throw because they wanted a more conservative approach. He’ll get more opportunities now, which, hopefully, will help him put down some roots. We really hope for that.

Quincy Avery told ESPN’s Jason Reid. (ht/Andscape)

Garrett Wilson remains eager to play with his former college teammate

Fields may be going to a new place, but he will have a familiar face welcoming him in the locker room. He and wide receiver Garrett Wilson starred for the Ohio State Buckeyes in college, and the two are set to reunite in New York.

“Even when we thought we weren’t going to have a season, he kept the spirit up and always kept us prepared to go. He made sure the receivers were getting their work in. When the season came around and we got to play, I felt like it came together really well because of those reasons,” Garrett Wilson said.

Fields may no longer be a Steeler, but he will face his former side very soon. The Steelers are among the teams that will visit MetLife Stadium in 2025.