The Pittsburgh Steelers have no shortage of questions to answer after a confounding end to the 2024 season.

A five-game losing streak has left a sour taste in everyone’s mouth and only added to the uncertainty under center. Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin gave quarterback Justin Fields the green light to start the season after Russell Wilson’s leg injury, but turned to Russell Wilson after a 4-2 start.

Initially, it worked. Wilson won six of his first seven starts, the Steelers won 10 of their first 13, and Tomlin looked like a genius.

Then it all fell apart.

As both Wilson and Fields prepare to hit free agency, Pittsburgh is left to reckon with whether its late-season slide is a one-way ticket out for the former. Tomlin’s bold Fields comments headline where he stands in the wake of an embarrassing 28-14 loss to the Baltimore Ravens.

“I think he took them,” Tomlin said, regarding Fields’ steps toward starting. “I thought the way he handled his professional circumstance was impressive. I thought he brought an urgency to his day-to-day work regardless of his role.”

It isn’t necessarily clear if that means starting with the Steelers or not. But a pivot to Fields flies in the face of the Steelers’ actions down the stretch. As the ship was sinking, Pittsburgh was content to let Wilson lead the offense downhill. A brief Fields injury complicated that decision, but the Steelers weren’t eager to let him play in the playoff rout, either.

There’s every chance Tomlin is merely praising a player on his way out of the building with bold remarks. Fields, by all accounts, was dutiful in his quarterbacking responsibilities on and off the field.

“I thought the way he conducted himself makes that a legitimate thought or idea at this juncture,” Tomlin said.

Fields’ season ended with career-best marks in completion percentage (65.8), passer rating (93.3) and interception percentage (0.6). The Steelers got a right-tail outcome after three bad years with the Chicago Bears, but clearly didn’t see enough to crown him as the long-term starter.

Wilson’s struggles don’t change that. While both sides seem interested in a reunion of sorts, Tomlin’s comments wouldn’t pencil in Fields as the only starting option – even if his 2024 counterpart isn’t the other part of the pairing.