Let’s be honest: talking heads are going to keep talking about QB Justin Fields and the Pittsburgh Steelers until they run out of options. Either the Steelers make a move for another quarterback or the Chicago Bears deal Fields elsewhere.
Until then, we’re going to continue to see projections like ESPN’s latest. Seth Walder aims to predict the starting quarterback for every team next season, and—well, you know where this is going. He predicts Justin Fields starts for the Steelers in 2024. He writes:
The Steelers’ next franchise quarterback is not currently on the roster. Kenny Pickett hasn’t shown enough growth in two seasons, and even though Mason Rudolph played well in a few starts down the stretch, he hasn’t been consistent enough in his career to be a safe option going forward. That they managed 10 wins last season despite their weak QB group makes them a candidate to deal for Fields, who could be a decent fit with new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith.
I will say that the Bears did little to dispel the notion that they intend to trade Fields this offseason. Their general manager talked about wanting to “do right” by the quarterback, including an expedient resolution to the uncertainty.
Yet the Steelers trading for Fields doesn’t really fit with anything that the team has said this offseason. Even Gerry Dulac published a list of reasons why they won’t.
Fields is a dynamic player due to his athletic ability. He has 40 passing touchdowns and 14 rushing touchdowns in 40 career games. He also has a 10-28 record, a high interception percentage, and a ridiculous number of fumbles.
The only realistic way I could see the Steelers trading for Fields is if the Bears tank their expectations. I imagine they need to give up such a little amount that they don’t feel obliged to pick up his fifth-year option.
That is unless they truly believe he is their next franchise quarterback, in which case they won’t care what the cost is to get him. And if they truly believed that, then they probably would have managed to get that trade on the books by now.
The Bears are dangling the bait, they’re just waiting to see who has the biggest bite. Maybe the Steelers are interested in Fields, to some degree, but not enough to make it worth Chicago’s while. I can’t imagine Walder ending up being right.
Here’s the thing, though: he basically has to put Fields somewhere else. The writing is on the wall with respect to the Bears trading him. I don’t believe the Steelers are the most likely team to trade for Fields, but national analysts see things differently.
