From Kyle Schrader (@Kyle__Schrader):
Well, Kyle, the path there is narrow.
Start here: The Pittsburgh Steelers, as a rule, don’t negotiate with agents during the season. I did check in a couple of weeks back and there was no plan to change that to accommodate a tricky situation at quarterback. Additionally, while Russell Wilson’s been really good, I don’t think he’s been good enough to justify a franchise tag of between $40 million and $45 million. Obviously, that number is not happening for Justin Fields either, which means that all either guy has to do to make it to free agency is, well, let it happen.
That’s a tough spot for a team to be in at quarterback. And my guess would be in the case of Wilson, if he plays well and Pittsburgh makes a nice playoff run, then there may be enough of a divide in a negotiation that the Steelers could let him hit the market and ask him to give them the right to match whatever is out there. Meanwhile, I’d think Fields would be looking for a Sam Darnold type of shot to start somewhere on a one-year deal.
So, for all this to come together, and for both guys to be back next year, I think Wilson’s value would have to land in a place where, after he hits the market, the Steelers would be able to sign a second veteran quarterback contract Fields’s pursuit of a shot to start somewhere else would have to fail. Either that, or Wilson flattens out the rest of the year, and he and Fields both would have to come back on reasonable deals.
This much I can say, Mike Tomlin and Arthur Smith have gotten Wilson to a place where they can be blunt and honest with him, and they have a blueprint that works for everyone now. And both those guys believe Fields has a bright future, and want to keep working with him too. So it’ll be interesting to see how this all looks in another three-and-a-half months.
