The Pittsburgh Steelers have a decision to make at quarterback, and would like Justin Fields to be that decision before free agency. But with the wide receiver market exploding before free agency even begins, it’s time for the black and gold to get a deal done, or it’s going to start costing them.
The Steelers have an opportunity to land a number of wideouts before free agency even begins. Christian Kirk and Tyler Lockett have been released by their teams, making them available to sign immediately. Davante Adams is also on the list.
D.K. Metcalf is available for trade as well. And while the Steelers don’t have to have a quarterback in place to know they want to trade for him, they need one in place for him to want to be traded to Pittsburgh.
The Steelers are trying to get their deal done with, assumably, Fields before the end of the week. No one know what the tie up is or if it’s Fields’ side or the Steelers’ side making things difficult. If it’s Pittsburgh, it’s time to give in. There are too many names that can take their wide receiver core from awful to great in a matter of one signing.
If it’s Fields, then a decision need to be made soon. The Steelers can’t let this hit free agency, and every day they get closer to it, their chances of losing another top wideout grow.
Some expect Fields to earn nothing more than $10 million on a one-year deal. Chances are that the number is higher than that, but it feels like below $20 million is reasonable. Anything higher and the risk of Fields versus another veteran may equal out. So much so, that they could sign a different option – like Russell Wilson – and try to explore wideouts to help him.
Right now, the alternative is letting this wait too long and not getting any help in free agency. At least not quality help.
The hard deadline for Pittsburgh needs to be March 10, which begins the legal tampering period. But the sooner the better. And it’s time for both sides to realize that.
