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Steelers' ability to draft a future franchise quarterback may have just gotten a lot harder due to something out of their control

Originally posted on A to Z Sports | By Rob Gregson | Last updated Oct 22, 2025 8:30 AM ET

I doubt that many supporters of the black and gold are keeping up with press conferences from other league owners, but on Tuesday, they should have been. Because New York Jets owner Woody Johnson decided to go viral, blasting the QB play for his team.

Well, it just so happens that said quarterback is Justin Fields, who as you may recall, was a starter for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2024. The issue is, shortly after those comments from Johnson, ESPN reported that the Jets would be making a move at QB.

So why does the benching of Justin Fields matter to Steelers fans? Two words: draft capital.

Steelers likely to lose compensatory value following benching of Justin Fields

Let's start here. A lot of talk about the Steelers finding their next franchise signal-caller has revolved around the 2026 NFL Draft. Whether the class of quarterbacks lives up to the hype, is neither here nor there right now.

What is important to analyze is that should the Steelers wish to trade up for a QB, the capital at their disposal has likely taken a big hit in value. Reasoning being: the compensatory formula. The Steelers lost former starters to free agency this offseason.

Najee Harris, Russell Wilson, Justin Fields, Dan Moore, and Donte Jackson all left to be starters or play significant roles elsewhere. In theory, the Steelers would be rewarded for their departure, earning picks rounds three through seven.

But part of the formula that is used to determine what round a pick is given, comes down to playtime. Najee Harris was lost to the year with an Achilles injury, Russell Wilson has been behind Jaxson Dart for Weeks, and now it appears that the Justin Fields experiment in New York is over.

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Meaning that if the Steelers receive less valuable picks, it will be harder to move up in the draft and harder to find the quarterback they are looking for. And while Fields play is the basis for that, it was the words of an owner that may have catalyzed the Steelers' conundrum.

"If we can just complete a pass, it would look good, said Johnson of Fields on Tuesday. “We gotta complete some passes. You gotta convince them you can do something, otherwise it’s hard to have a game you can win."

"It’s hard when you have a quarterback with a rating that he’s got. I mean, he has [the] ability, but something just is not jiving. … You have to play consistently at that position, and that’s what we’re going to try to do for the remainder of the season.”

And if that is the case, (which it seems to be) the Steelers' lives just got a lot tougher come April.

This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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