The first quarterback domino fell on February 28 as Matthew Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams agreed to a restructured deal, and the second QB domino could be determined by the Pittsburgh Steelers.
According to ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter, “with Matthew Stafford remaining with the Rams, the Las Vegas Raiders now are expected to investigate veteran quarterback options that include Russell Wilson, Justin Fields and Sam Darnold, per sources.”
This led Steelers beat reporter Brooke Pryor (ESPN) to deduce that it “would seem there’s a strong likelihood that whichever QB – Wilson or Fields – doesn’t return to Pittsburgh will end up in Vegas.”
The Raiders have always been a strong backup option for Wilson, who won a Super Bowl with new Vegas head coach Pete Carroll. Although some have questioned if Wilson and Carroll’s relationship has soured since their fallout in Seattle, both parties have publicly stated otherwise.
Live from the NFL Combine, Steelers Depot writer Ross McCorkle relayed that he “asked Carroll about his relationship with Wilson at the beginning of the week.” To which Carroll responded: “People would be ‘surprised’ how much they still talk.”
Similarly, Wilson praised Carroll on the Pat McAfee Show on January 22, voicing: “I think Pete’s an amazing football coach. I think he’s an amazing individual. I’ve been fortunate to play for two really special coaches in terms of [who they are as] men and how they think and how they process the game.”
Wilson also referred to Carroll as “culture builder,” noting that they have “always stayed in touch” since their time together with the Seahawks.
Presumably, Las Vegas would also be intrigued by the younger and higher upside Fields, let’s say the Steelers fail to extend him before free agency.
Giants Could Be a Wildcard for Whichever QB Steelers Don’t Re-Sign
Along with the Raiders, the New York Giants find themselves in pivot mode following the Stafford outcome. Both Las Vegas and NYG showed heavy interest in a Stafford trade this week, but now each franchise is back to square one.
ESPN’s Sarah Barshop wrote that “with Stafford remaining with the Rams, the Giants are investigating all veteran quarterback options, including Aaron Rodgers, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.”
She included a link to a February 28 article from colleague Jordan Raanan — who specifically covers the Giants for ESPN — which named Wilson as an option for New York but not Fields.
Others have included Fields in the pool of potential Giants targets, including New York Post reporter Paul Schwartz. As of now, Big Blue appears to be considering anything and everything, as Schefter alluded, making them a sort of wildcard candidate to swipe whichever Steelers QB Pittsburgh does not re-sign.
Could Steelers End up Without Russell Wilson or Justin Fields?
Of course, with Stafford off the board, there is now an increased possibility that the Steelers lose Fields and Wilson in free agency — should they let negotiations get that far.
That’s why it is paramount that Steelers general manager Omar Khan hammers out a deal with one of the two before March 10, the date that legal tampering is allowed to begin.
Pittsburgh cannot risk losing both Wilson and Fields. If they do, they’d be stuck hoping someone like Darnold makes it to free agency. And even if he did, Darnold would then hold all the cards, forcing the Steelers to potentially overpay significantly to secure him.
Beyond Wilson, Fields and Darnold, the free agent options are not great, with Rodgers or cut candidate Kirk Cousins standing out as possible short-term alternatives.
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