The Pittsburgh Steelers acquired Justin Fields from the Chicago Bears for a sixth-round pick — it can go to a fourth-rounder if the quarterback plays at least 51% of the offensive snaps in 2024. For now, all indications are that Russell Wilson will be the starter, so the Steelers made a move to put a decent backup option in place.

Is it a competition between Russell Wilson and Justin Fields in Pittsburgh?

One source just texted: “Russ is the starter.”

— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) March 16, 2024

However, Fields is still young, and Wilson is under contract for just one year. Pittsburgh could realistically want to give Fields a chance to be the long-term starter.

If that's the case, it makes sense for the Steelers to secure Fields under contract beyond 2024. But it won't be easy.

The Steelers will absorb $3.233 million in 2024. But Fields' fifth-year option is $25.664 million, and Pittsburgh has to make a decision by May, before the quarterback even playing a single snap for the team. That value would be fully guaranteed, which is completely unrealistic for the Steelers, considering that Fields is 35th in EPA+CPOE composite and 37th in success rate among 43 qualifying quarterbacks since 2021.

However, there's a blueprint for how they can make it happen.

What is the solution?

Ideally, the Steelers would want to secure two years of Fields for a reasonable price tag, giving it more flexibility to operate moving forward. And that's a path the Green Bay Packers executed in 2023.

It's a slightly different circumstance because Jordan Love had barely played in his first three years in the league, while Justin Fields has had 38 starts.

But it's fair to say that, in both cases, the team making the decision wasn't or won't be completely sure about the player's future.

What the Packers and Love agreed to

Love was a first-round pick in 2020, so his initial deal was a four-year, $12.383 million contract. In 2023, he would have originally made a little more than $2 million, and the Packers have a fifth-year option projected at $20.272 million.

That would mean $22.5 million over two years, but with a bad structure for the team — the entire fifth-year option value would hit the cap at once.

So, the Packers offered Jordan Love a one-year extension instead of the fifth-year option. It was a $13.5 million contract that could jump to $22.5 million with incentives.

Why it made sense for each side

For the Packers, it's easy. The team had a slightly bigger cap hit in 2023, but gained a lot of flexibility in 2024 and to sign a new extension. They avoided Baker Mayfield's situation, where the Cleveland Browns had to absorb a lot of money to trade him away, but also the Daniel Jones' situation, where the New York Giants ended up forced to give him an overvalued extension to avoid a franchise tag scenario after his option had been declined.

For Love, it was a bet on himself. He made around $7 million more in 2023 than he would have otherwise, and while he is slated to make less in 2024 ($11 million) than he would have with the option, practically his good performance on the field forced the Packers to offer a new, long-term extension.

How could it work

If the parties can reach a short-term extension, Pittsburgh will pay Fields more than the $3.233 million he's slated to make in 2024, but the quarterback would agree to a one-year extension for 2025, making much less than the $25.664 million option.

Just as it happened with Jordan Love, Justin Fields' deal would have to include incentives to match the quarterback's on-field production and the team's collective success — Love got $5 million of the $9 million in available incentives in 2023.

Presumably, Fields will be a backup, but it makes sense to give him incentives in the case he becomes a starter during the season.

Right now, the Steelers want a backup. But Justin Fields can be a starter moving forward, and getting extra contract flexibility makes sense for Pittsburgh.

Chicago Bears agree to a major trade that will send quarterback Justin Fields to the Pittsburgh Steelers

The decision has been made.