Insider addresses if Steelers were 'all-in' on Justin Fields before Aaron Rodgers interest

ESPN NFL reporter Jeremy Fowler raised eyebrows when he recently reported that the Pittsburgh Steelers were "all-in" on re-signing quarterback Justin Fields before he agreed to a two-year, $40M deal with $30M guaranteed to join the New York Jets.

During Tuesday's edition of his "The Breer Report," NFL insider Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated addressed the idea that the Steelers always had former Jets starter Aaron Rodgers ahead of Fields in quarterback power rankings for the 2025 season. 

"They made a decision that they were going to make a run at Aaron Rodgers," Breer said about the Steelers, as shared by Troy Montgomery of Steelers Depot. "I fully support their decision to do that. I think it makes all kinds of sense for them to be in on Aaron Rodgers, but there's collateral damage for that. The collateral damage to that, in this case, is Justin Fields."

The "all-in" claim regarding Pittsburgh and Fields never made much sense, considering the money attached to his Jets contract compared to what other starters are due to make for at least the 2025 season. Thus, it seems to outsiders that those within the Steelers regime, such as head coach Mike Tomlin, preferred to pursue either Rodgers or Sam Darnold over re-signing Fields. 

Darnold was out of Pittsburgh's price range, as he inked a three-year, $100.5M contract with the Seattle Seahawks.

While NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported on Wednesday morning that the Minnesota Vikings are "not pursuing Rodgers," The Athletic's Dianna Russini and Ralph Vacchiano of Fox Sports later indicated the Vikings haven't yet completely closed the door on possibly acquiring the future Hall of Famer. 

Tomlin chose veteran Russell Wilson over Fields multiple times in 2024, including after he helped the Steelers win four of their first six games of the season. Breer suggested that Pittsburgh was unwilling to make Fields the undisputed starter this spring, the biggest reason the 26-year-old is now with the Jets. 

Like the rest of the football world, the Steelers and New York Giants will wait to learn of Rodgers' intentions for the 2025 campaign. It sounds like he may not make a final decision until he knows if Minnesota will turn to 2024 first-round draft pick J.J. McCarthy as its starter after he spent his rookie season recovering from a full meniscus repair.