2024 Steelers Exit Interviews: Russell Wilson and Justin Fields
The Pittsburgh Steelers 2024 NFL season has come to a close. Because the Steelers are among the 31 teams who did not finish fulfilling their ultimate goal, they are in the process of wrapping up their season and moving forward into 2025.
Since the Steelers conduct exit interviews with all their players, and the fact I have done these articles in the past, we thought we would do them yet again here at Steel Curtain Network. By outlining two players each day, we will be able to look at their season in retrospect as well as looking toward the future. Since Coach Tomlin has previously stated he starts his interviews with rookies and those heading into free agency, we will attempt to do the same to some degree. To start, we will pair the most recent draftees with another player at the same position (if possible) as we work through this process to eventually cover the entire Steelers roster.
Next up are quarterbacks Russell Wilson and Justin Fields.
Russell Wilson
Position: Quarterback
Years with the Steelers: 1
Years in the NFL: 13
Contract Status: Free Agent
Contract Details: Contract expiring with no dead money.
Games played in 2024: 11 regular season
Games started in 2024: 11 regular season
Snaps (regular season): 719 (offense)
PFF score: 79.5 (15th of 42)
Notable stats: Wilson completed 214 of 336 passing attempts for 2,482 yards. He threw 16 touchdowns and five interceptions. Wilson also added 155 rushing yards on 43 attempts and 2 rushing touchdowns.
Notes: It was a very “Jekyll and Hyde“-like season for quarterback Russell Wilson in Pittsburgh, but not in the true sense. Pretty much the good was front loaded with the bad all coming at the end. For this reason, it appears that, especially when going up against top quality opponents, Wilson’s abilities within the Steelers offense were figured out and shut down. Whether this was a result of Wilson‘s play, the offensive scheme, or a combination of both, is for Steelers fans to discern for themselves. Either way, how things were trending at the end of the season does not instill confidence in Steelers fans should he be the quarterback who returns for 2025. The good with Wilson is that you know what you are getting, but that is also the bad as it’s not like he is expected to do things fans haven’t seen before this far into his career. Sometimes a new team can spark something in a player, but the magic in that relationship with the Steelers is already gone.
Justin Fields
Position: Quarterback
Years with the Steelers: 1
Years in the NFL: 4
Contract Status: Free Agent
Contract Details: Contract expiring with no dead money.
Games played in 2024: 10 regular season
Games started in 2024: 6 regular season
Snaps (regular season): 408 (offense)
PFF score: 71.0 (27th of 42)
Notable stats: Fields completed 106 of 161 passing attempts for 1,106 yards. He threw 5 touchdowns and one interception. Fields also added 289 rushing yards on 62 attempts and 5 rushing touchdowns.
Notes: There are a large number of Steelers fans who, if given the choice, would prefer a return of Fields over Wilson for 2025. While the upside is it’s uncertain if Fields has already shown who he is as a quarterback in the NFL or if there is more growth to be had, one’s opinion about this subject is likely the driving force of whether they would like to see Justin Fields in Pittsburgh next year or not. Although Fields did give the Steelers the running dynamic at the position, it’s not that he gave an elite passing game to a team that was known for having holes at the wide receiver position. While there is likely potential for Fields to outplay what he did for the Steelers in 2024, there is just as much potential, if not more, he gives either similar or less quality. It’s a pretty big mystery, so the Steelers must decide if it’s the risk they are willing to take.
Make sure you check back each day for another set of exit interviews. If you have missed any of the previous articles, they are listed here:
Troy Fautanu & Broderick Jones
Zach Frazier & Ryan McCollum
Roman Wilson & Van Jefferson
Payton Wilson & Patrick Queen
Mason McCormick & James Daniels
Logan Lee & Isaiahh Loudermilk
Ryan Watts & Damontae Kazee
Joey Porter Jr. & James Pierre
Keeanu Benton & Montravius Adams
Darnell Washington & Pat Freiermuth
Nick Herbig & Jeremiah Moon
Cory Trice Jr. & Donte Jackson
Spencer Anderson & Calvin Anderson
Larry Ogunjobi & Preston Smith
Beanie Bishop Jr. & Cameron Sutton
George Pickens & Mike Williams
DeMarvin Leal & Dean Lowry
Calvin Austin III & Ben Skowronek
Connor Heyward & MyCole Pruitt
Mark Robinson & Elandon Roberts
Najee Harris & Jaylen Warren
