In two weeks, Pittsburgh Steelers training camp gets started and with that, the clock starts. The front office has a firm policy about negotiations and contract extensions.
As a rule, the Steelers are willing to work on new deals for players throughout training camp and the preseason. But once the season starts, negotiations end and the players move forward on the final year of their respective contracts.
This puts some serious pressure on the Steelers front office when it comes to the quarterback position. Pittsburgh went to great lengths to completely rebuild the quarterback room this offseason but they are just rentals.
Russell Wilson, Justin Fields and even Kyle Allen are all working on one-year contracts and there’s no rookie waiting in the wings if the Steelers can’t keep one or more.
What this could mean for Pittsburgh is they lean heavily on training camp and preseason games to decide if Wilson or Fields are worth an extension now and if so, how much.
It seems unlikely Pittsburgh would give both guys an extension so it might be first come, first served. The player who gets the extension might not be this season’s starter but the contract is a vote of confidence for the future.