Possible Impediment Regarding Justin Fields & Pittsburgh Steelers

The Pittsburgh Steelers have been saying since being eliminated from the playoffs they prefer bringing back either Justin Fields or Russell Wilson.

All reports indicate Fields is the preferred option.

CBS Sports’ Aditi Kinkhabwala was the first to say they prefer Fields. She also stated the Steelers have no interest in retaining Wilson. She has been very consistent with her messaging and has been the only one to remain consistent.

Aditi Kinkhabwala’s Reporting Of Steelers’ QB Situation

A lot of hoopla began in early February when Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Gerry Dulac reported offensive coordinator Arthur Smith would not let veteran QB Russell Wilson change plays at the line of scrimmage.

Kinkhabwala quickly shot this down on 93.7 The Fan Pittsburgh saying it was patently false and completely one-sided. She stated “It is patently false, completely inaccurate. Maybe that’s not a fair way to say it. It is one-sided. It isn’t complete. You know this Poni, journalism is about getting both sides of the story and this is very clearly coming from one side.” She continued, “In talking to coaches and general managers around the league, there’s just not a market for his services right now. And, so, when I read something like that, I read this as a desperate ploy to explain why the season ended the way it did, to assign blame elsewhere, and to perhaps try to create a market here in Pittsburgh for his services. And the truth is, it’s just not true.”

Kinkhabwala also mentioned Wilson struggled to call plays in Denver and he needed a wristband to call plays. She also stated he struggled with presnap exercises and struggled to read opposing defenses.

In mid-February, Kinkhabwala stated Aaron Rodgers would not be a good fit, while many TV personalities continue to push the idea of Rodgers joining the Steelers.

On February 19 while on 93.7 The Fan in Pittsburgh, Kinkhabwala stated “I do feel very very strongly that the sentiment from people inside the building whose responsibility is to lead this team, that they feel Justin Fields really truly has a chance to be a high-level quarterback. And they would like to see him back.”

The next Wednesday, February 26, while on 93.7 The Fan, she stated regarding Russell Wilson “From all the reporting that I have been told is that he is not going to re-sign with the Steelers.”

On March 5, again on 93.7 The Fan, Kinkhabwala stated “Last week I talked to several general managers of Quarterback needy teams who are definitely saying that Justin Fields is in the mix for them.”

She also stated on March 5 regarding Wilson being brought back to the Steelers “It’s very obvious that his market is not nearly as robust as he would like it to be. And if the Steelers were really gung-ho on him, then, yes, it would have happened already.” She also shot down the idea of Wilson re-joining Pete Carroll with the Raiders.

Possible Impediment Between Justin Fields & Pittsburgh Steelers

Today, Kinkhabwala provided another update regarding the Steelers and Fields. Here is her post on X:

If Justin Fields wants to affirm he is indeed a starter in this league (and a starter to stay), his best path is to sign with the #Steelers. He is familiar with the offense, he has an offensive staff that absolutely believes in him and he freely told our @NFLonCBS crew how the…

— Aditi Kinkhabwala (@AKinkhabwala) March 7, 2025

This makes complete sense. It was not Arthur Smith who wanted Fields benched midseason, it was Mike Tomlin. This would make Fields not fully trust Tomlin will indeed start him in 2025.

Another impediment she mentioned is there is a market for Fields and the Steelers will need to offer him a contract he would be willing to sign.

Time will tell if the Steelers and Fields figure this all out. To her credit, Kinkhabwala has been very consistent with her messaging this offseason while many reporters have not given a consistent message regarding the Steelers’ QB situation.