Report: Steelers won’t exercise fifth-year option on former Bears QB Fields

A month after trading for quarterback Justin Fields, the Pittsburgh Steelers have decided not to exercise the fifth-year option on Fields’ rookie contract.

The Steelers will not extend Fields’ contract through the 2025 season, per a report from ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Wednesday morning. Fields will be eligible to become a free agent in March 2025. The price tag for Fields’ fifth-year option would’ve cost the Steelers about $25 million.

So the Steelers will head into 2024 with two quarterbacks, Russell Wilson and Fields, both on one-year deals. The Steelers signed Wilson to a cheap contract because the Denver Broncos are still paying Wilson a reported $39 million to not play for them this season.

The Steelers traded a 2025 conditional sixth-round draft pick to the Bears in exchange for Fields on March 16. That sixth-round pick can elevate to a fourth-round pick if Fields plays more than half the offensive plays for the Steelers in 2024.

The Bears traded the one-time 11th overall draft pick to make room for a rookie quarterback. They are likely to select USC quarterback Caleb Williams with the No. 1 overall draft pick Thursday night.