Steelers received their second loss of the week on Sunday following the performance of former starting quarterback Justin Fields
Not the news the Steelers were hoping for.
As if the Thursday night loss wasn’t bad enough for the Steelers, Sunday wasn’t much better. Not because the Cleveland Browns won, but rather what happened between the New York Jets and Carolina Panthers.
Not only did the Jets fall to 0-7 (Hey, Aaron Glenn, is Aaron Rodgers still not good enough for the Jets?), but they benched their starting quarterback, Justin Fields. The same quarterback they gave a two-year, $40 million contract to. The same QB that went 4-2 with the Steelers and had people in the building wanting to go back to Fields ahead of the playoffs.
Well, why should Steelers fans care? Two words: compensatory picks.
Justin Fields’ benching hurts Steelers’ compensatory draft picks in 2026
Before we get into why, let’s first make sure we understand the how.
“The gist is that players are assigned a round, with the backend of the third round being the highest pick possible, based on the adjusted APY (after taking workout bonuses, escalators, etc.), playing time, experience, and other awards.” – Sumer Sports
Essentially, when players like Fields, Russell Wilson, and Najee Harris leave in free agency, like they did last offseason, the Steelers can recoup draft capital for their departures. How high a pick can be is determined by the bevy of factors mentioned above, with playing time being one of the biggest.
Well, seeing as Harris tore his Achilles, and Wilson was benched for Jaxson Dart, the hope turned to Fields to ensure a high comp pick for the Steelers, but even that feels far-fetched at this point.
Dan Moore has played plenty for the Tennessee Titans, as has Donte Jackson on the Los Angeles Chargers, but the Steelers hoped both Wilson and Fields (especially) would play enough to bolster the quality of their picks in 2026.
The more compensatory picks the Steelers have, the more draft capital they have to play with. With Pittsburgh likely to be in the QB draft market and often picking in the backend of round one, these picks serve as leverage and a negotiating tool to help move up the draft board. And right now, the Steelers aren’t receiving a ton of help.
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