Justin Fields rejected the Pittsburgh Steelers this offseason in favor of signing with the New York Jets.
Insider Alex Kozora of Steelers Depot told me on “The Manchild Show with Boy Green Digital” a new reason why that transpired.
“The Jets had a more competitive offer, some second-year guaranteed money, Pittsburgh reportedly did not, so Fields went there. I imagine Fields did not love the way he was handled. Everyone knows his story, getting replaced after Week 6 when Pittsburgh was 4-2 and not really getting a chance after that. So he probably wanted to go to a team that felt like it was going to start him and give him an entire season runway, which the Jets appear to do,” Kozora said.
#Steelers Insider @Alex_Kozora of @Steelersdepot confirmed that Justin Fields was Pittsburgh’s first choice at QB this offseason & Aaron Rodgers was at best their 2nd choice.
Fields signed with the #Jets instead this offseason in part due to some guaranteed money NYJ included… pic.twitter.com/qSJEWGP6fr
— Paul Andrew Esden Jr (@BoyGreen25) June 6, 2025
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
Fields signed a two-year, $40 million contract. He is set to receive $20 million guaranteed in 2025, which includes his $15 million signing bonus and his $5 million base salary. Fields has $10 million of his 2026 salary guaranteed for next year.
A Secret Reason for Fields Jets’ Optimism Heading Into 2025
Kozora told me that, “Pittsburgh liked the element of the run game in what he could provide there. He [Fields] led the team in rushing touchdowns over that span, in which he started [five rushing scores].”
“Yeah, I think he certainly can have success in New York with a good coaching staff. He has his old college football teammate in Garrett Wilson to throw to, so yeah, I don’t want to say the sky is the limit, but I think there is certainly more to build upon. I thought Fields proved in Pittsburgh that he got better mechanically, he got smarter with the football, took care of it, there were certainly strides made in his one year with the Steelers,” Kozora added.
.@Alex_Kozora of @Steelersdepot told me that #Steelers fans were disappointed this offseason when they lost QB Justin Fields to the #Jets.
Fascinating nugget on Fields’ time as the starter:
‘Russell Wilson re-injured his hamstring about 3 days before the season began, so it… pic.twitter.com/GiP8p6ugaf
— Paul Andrew Esden Jr (@BoyGreen25) June 6, 2025
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
There were tangible stats that backed up that progress. Fields set a new career high in completion percentage (65.8%) and a new career low in interception percentage (0.6%). That would be impressive under any circumstances.
However, it looks even more promising when you consider what Fields went through while putting up their numbers.
“You had six weeks of Fields, and even that was a bridge. They had a very condensed and restrictive offense. Fields was thrown in there last second when Russell Wilson re-injured his hamstring about three days before the season began. So it never really got to be Justin Fields’ true offense and true show to run in Pittsburgh,” Kozora told me.
Wilson was supposed to be the starter, but he got injured, and Fields got thrown in. In New York, everything is different.
Fields has already been crowned the QB1 of the NYJ. The offense is being built around him from day one. This is his team and his offense.
Jets-Steelers Both Wanted Fields More Than Aaron Rodgers
NFL media analyst Gregg Rosenthal said on social media, “Among the similarities between the Steelers and Jets: They both wanted Justin Fields more than Aaron Rodgers this season.”
Among the similarities between the Steelers and Jets: They both wanted Justin Fields more than Aaron Rodgers this season
— Gregg Rosenthal (@greggrosenthal) June 5, 2025
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
While some fans in the comment section took it as a funny joke, it is actually true.
Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic revealed ahead of free agency that Fields was the No. 1 QB target for the Jets this offseason on the “Flight Plan” podcast.
ESPN NFL Insider Jeremy Fowler said the Steelers were “all in” on Fields in free agency on “The Dan Patrick Show.”
ESPN #NFL Insider @JFowlerESPN believes the #Steelers were ‘all in’ on QB Justin Fields in free agency & they put together a ‘very competitive’ contract offer to what the #Jets gave him [2-year $40M contract with $30M guaranteed].
‘Something went off where he chose the Jets & he… pic.twitter.com/KZ1bqxI29d
— Paul Andrew Esden Jr (@BoyGreen25) March 18, 2025
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
Pittsburgh wanted to “re-sign” Fields, Rosenblatt said, but he rejected their advances and joined the Jets instead.
ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter revealed on “Get Up” that Rodgers was actually the Steelers’ third choice at quarterback this offseason.
He revealed that Pittsburgh preferred to re-sign Fields and even explored a trade with the Los Angeles Rams for Matthew Stafford. However, after those efforts failed, the Steelers finally pivoted to Rodgers.
ESPN #NFL Insider @AdamSchefter revealed that Aaron Rodgers was the #Steelers ‘third choice’ at QB this offseason. 😳
They preferred re-signing Justin Fields who signed with the #Jets & they explored a trade with the #Rams for Matthew Stafford.
After those pursuits failed, they… pic.twitter.com/21y87lSehO
— Paul Andrew Esden Jr (@BoyGreen25) June 6, 2025
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Insider Shares New Reason Justin Fields Rejected Steelers for Jets appeared first on Heavy Sports.