It was a tale of two halves for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2024. After a strong start from both Justin Fields and Russell Wilson, the team collapsed down the stretch, ending the season on a five-game losing streak. As a result, their path forward at quarterback remained uncertain.
With a weak pool of quarterbacks in free agency and the 2025 NFL Draft, the Steelers were a team to watch in the QB market. However, with Sam Darnold and Justin Fields already off the board, the situation was growing bleaker by the day—and fans were losing patience.
Pressure Mounting on Mike Tomlin and the Pittsburgh. Steelers
Following their season-ending loss to the Baltimore Ravens in the divisional round, frustration with Mike Tomlin reached a boiling point. Despite his regular-season success, Tomlin hadn’t won a playoff game since the 2016 season.
Now, the team’s ongoing quarterback carousel was only adding fuel to the fire. Since Ben Roethlisberger’s retirement, the Steelers had yet to find a stable replacement.
Mason Rudolph, Kenny Pickett, and last year’s Wilson-Fields duo all cycled through the role, but none proved to be a long-term answer. Fans took notice.
“I just can’t believe how the Steelers front office has completely botched this post-Ben QB succession plan,” one fan wrote.
Others echoed the sentiment.
“They couldn’t have handled the QB situation any worse after Ben. Pickett might be bad, but he never had a shot. Then they completely botched the situation with Fields and Russ last year. This team has no long-term plan and just tries to patch holes.”
The biggest complaint? How Pittsburgh handled Fields.
Fields started the first six games of the season, leading Pittsburgh to a 4-2 record. But after that, he never got another real shot as the clear starter. Instead, the team pivoted to Wilson for the rest of the year. Then, despite being ranked No. 42 on PFSN’s list of the top 121 free agents, Fields wasn’t even part of Pittsburgh’s offseason negotiations.
“The thing with Justin Fields leaving the Steelers is they could have had him as their starter,” another fan opined. “But they chose to sit him after a six-game audition. And then they tried to act like they could fall back on him prior to free agency.”
He finished with a sentiment many Steelers fans seem to share:
“Never really agreed with how it was handled.”
MORE: PFSN’s Top 121 Free Agents
That initial stretch was further broken down by PFSN’s Ben Rolfe, who highlighted Fields’ impact.
“Justin Fields rattled off three wins to start his career as a Steeler, and while he wasn’t asked to carry the team, he was able to steer the ship in the right direction against three teams that were all in the playoff picture as the season progressed (Falcons, Broncos, and Chargers).”
For many, not giving Fields another shot—especially during the five-game losing streak—was the final straw.
“When things went bad, the mistake was never going back to Fields,” one fan said. “That was the death blow. Never gave him a chance to turn the team around when things were crumbling.”
The rumors of a potential Aaron Rodgers deal are still in play. If the Steelers can land him, the season—and the situation in Pittsburgh—could be salvaged. Otherwise, Steelers Nation is inching closer to outright mutiny.