The 2026 NFL Draft is here, where all the picks that have been traded and earned throughout the year become actual players. That includes compensatory picks, where the league awards teams that lose pricey free agents an extra draft selection in return.
Presumed starting quarterbacks aren’t cheap, and Justin Fields was no exception after going 4-2 in his six starts with the Steelers in 2024. In 2025, he signed a $20 million per-year deal with the New York Jets, earning Pittsburgh an early Day 3 selection.
How did the Steelers get a compensatory pick for Justin Fields?
The New York Jets signed quarterback Justin Fields to a two-year, $40 million deal, netting a fourth-round compensatory pick that slots in at 135 overall.
What did the Steelers do with the compensatory pick from the Justin Fields contract?
The Steelers used pick 135 as part of their trade up to pick 47 to select WR Germie Bernard.
Picks 53, 135, and 237 from Pittsburgh went to Indy in exchange for picks No. 47 and 249.
How was Justin Fields’ performance for the Jets in 2025?
Fields’ first year in New York didn’t go as planned for either side. After narrowly losing to the Steelers in a shootout Week 1, the Fields-led Gang Green offense showed some promise – but that optimism didn’t last long.
Fields lasted just nine games as a starter before he was benched with a 2-7 record. He finished the year with 1,259 passing yards, seven passing touchdowns, and one interception. Against the Broncos on Oct. 12, Fields led the Jets to -10 net yards in passing; later that month, he faced public criticism from Jets owner Woody Johnson.
The Jets placed Fields on injured reserve in December, where he ended his season. Then, in March of 2026, New York made it clear they were moving in a new direction at quarterback after trading for former Raider Geno Smith. Less than a week later, Fields was flipped to the Kansas City Chiefs for a sixth-round pick.
Should the Steelers have kept Justin Fields?
I think we know the answer to this one, but sound off in the comments below.
What is a compensatory pick?
Compensatory picks are awarded to teams that suffer a net loss of qualifying free agents during the previous year’s free agency period. So 2026 NFL Draft compensatory picks are awarded due to free agents lost in 2025.
Then those player are ranked on the amount of salary, playing time, and a bunch of other criteria and slotted into the end of rounds three through seven.
