Pittsburgh Steelers president Art Rooney II revealed the team needs to figure out their quarterback problem with much urgency after another late-season collapse and early playoff exit.
The Steelers began their season with an abundance at the position, signing both rising star Justin Fields and bona fide veteran Russell Wilson.
Unfortunately, after losing their sixth postseason game in a row, tied for the longest active streak in the league, the franchise has seen their longest playoff drought since 1972 – not having won a playoff game in eight years.
In his annual season-ending press conference on Monday, Rooney mentioned that the quarterback position is the ‘biggest piece of the puzzle’ heading into the offseason.
‘I think both of them see themselves as starters and I don’t know that they want to share the job again,’ Rooney said. ‘So I would say most likely we don’t wind up bringing them both back.’
‘I would like to see us go into the quarterback room with two quarterbacks who can run the same system,’ he added.
Steelers chief Art Rooney II stated that his team’s quarterback situation needs to be resolved
Both Justin Fields (L) and Russell Wilson (R) are unrestricted free agents this offseason
The heavy decision comes as both Fields and Wilson are unrestricted free agents.
Fields, 25, appeared in 10 games and completed 106 of 161 attempts for 1,106 yards and five touchdowns. He also rushed for 289 yards and found the end zone five times.
On the other hand, the 36-year-old Wilson made 11 appearances, 214 completions for 336 attempts, and tallied 2,482 yards for 16 touchdowns. Wilson did find as much success in rushing with 11 carries for 43 yards and two touchdowns.
Despite their collective efforts, the Steelers ended their season with a four-game losing streak and a 10-7 record before falling to the Baltimore Ravens in the Wild Card round.
‘It’s not what we expected, especially after getting off to a good start,’ Rooney said. ‘So we have a lot of work to do to improve going into next season. We just have to keep building a stronger roster.
‘We played the best teams in the league and, obviously, we could see we’re not there. We need to do what we need to do to take the next step.’