Steelers Showing ‘Belief’ Former Top 10 QB ‘Good Fit’ for Offense: Report

Quarterbacks Russell Wilson and Justin Fields remain the front runners to be the starting quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers next season. But 93.7 The Fans’ Andrew Fillipponi reported there’s new contender that was drafted higher than both Wilson and Fields — former New York Giants signal caller Daniel Jones.

Fillipponi tweeted on Feb. 18 that the Steelers have interest in Jones because the organization views him as a fit for the team’s offense.

“Source: There’s interest in former Giants QB Daniel Jones inside the Steelers organization,” Fillipponi wrote on X (formerly Twitter). “Quote: ‘[The Steelers] could do a lot worse than Jones.’ With the belief he actually is a good fit for Arthur Smith’s offense.”

“And Mike Tomlin’s preference for a mobile quarterback.”

Fillipponi’s last sentence is a reference to head coach Mike Tomlin’s post-season press conference on Jan. 14. Tomlin told the media in the presser that quarterback mobility is an x-factor in today’s NFL.

The Giants drafted Jones No. 6 overall in the 2019 NFL draft. In six years as the team’s starter, he rushed for 2,179 yards and 15 touchdowns while averaging 5.5 yards per carry.

Jones also posted a 64.1% completion percentage with 70 touchdowns and 47 interceptions. He averaged 208.3 passing yards per game.

Steelers Interested in QB Daniel Jones: Report

The former top 10 pick will be a free agent this offseason after going 3-13 in his final 16 starts with the Giants. Jones led New York to a 2-8 record in 2024 before getting benched.

The Giants then released Jones on Nov. 22. He finished the season with the Minnesota Vikings, but he didn’t appear in a game.

Jones largely struggled during his Giants tenure. However, he led New York to a 9-6-1 record and playoff win during the 2022 campaign. Believing he had turned the corner under head coach Brian Daboll, the Giants then signed Jones to a four-year, $160 million contract.

But Jones didn’t even finish the second year on the contract before his release.

The 27-year-old quarterback finished 24-44-1 as a starter in New York. In 10 starts last season, Jones registered a 63.3% completion percentage with eight touchdowns and seven interceptions. He also had 2,070 passing yards and 265 rushing yards.

Jones Comparable to Justin Fields?

Pundits on FOX Sports’ Breakfast Ball discussed Fillipponi’s report that the Steelers are interested in Jones on Feb. 19. Three-time Super Bowl champion Mark Schlereth seemed intrigued about the idea of Jones coming to Pittsburgh.

“The year he had a ton of success with Brian Daboll, you have to understand the play-action game that was created off of his athleticism, and also the fact that they ran him probably 10 designed run plays, 8-10, a game. So they really used the RPO system,” said Schelerth.

“If you couple that with the fact that Arthur Smith is the offensive coordinator and he did that with Ryan Tannehill. That’s exactly what Ryan Tannehill was when he came to Tennessee. He was a backup to Marcus Mariota. They bench Mariota. They develop an offense off his running ability, off the play-action ability.

“If you do that with Daniel Jones, he could be a playoff quarterback.”

Danny Parkins of Breakfast Ball also put together a graphic comparing some statistics with Jones and Fields. Fillipponi tweeted the graphic on Feb. 19.

Those statistics, though, include Jones’ strong 2022 season. At this point, that season is clearly a one-hit wonder on Jones’ career resume.

Meanwhile, Fields has mostly improved the past two seasons, particularly in a small sample last year with the Steelers. Fields threw five touchdown passes versus only one interception with 161 pass attempts in 2024.

And while Jones has been a strong mobile quarterback, Fields is even more dynamic on the ground. Fields has averaged six yards per rush in his NFL career and scored more touchdowns on the ground than Jones in 20 fewer games.

It seems unlikely that the Steelers prefer to sign Jones instead of Fields this offseason. But with Fields expected to receive interest from other teams in free agency, it’s possible the Steelers view Jones as a potential alternative because of how he could fit in Arthur Smith’s offense.