Kenny Pickett is poised to enter training camp as the Pittsburgh Steelers’ starting quarterback. But the team doesn’t want to hand him the job. And if Mason Rudolph does not re-sign, something looking increasingly likely, the Steelers will go outside the organization to bring in competition. Appearing on the Pat McAfee Show Monday, ESPN’s Adam Schefter said he believes that’s the path the team will take. And Schefter made sure to make special mention of Chicago Bears QB Justin Fields.
“We know that Pittsburgh is going to go out and get some type of quarterback,” Schefter told the show. “Whether that’s Ryan Tannehill, whether that’s Russell Wilson, whether that’s Justin Fields. Mike Tomlin is a big fan of Justin Fields. Keep that in mind during the offseason and the coming weeks…they’re not just going to leave it as Kenny Pickett as his starting job. Mike Tomlin made that very clear. Now, it’s which of these quarterbacks do they make a move for?”
Tannehill’s name could be among the most popular connected with Pittsburgh this offseason, given his ties to new Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith. Tannehill signed with the Tennessee Titans in 2019 and under Smith, the team’s OC in 2019 and 2020, had career years. A first-round bust in Miami, he threw 55 touchdown passes across his two seasons with Smith in Tennessee and was named the NFL’s Comeback Player of the Year in 2019. Age and regression are concerns — he’s 36 years old with mounting injuries — but he’s an obvious system fit.
Fields is the most notable name Schefter rattled off, likely to be dealt by the Chicago Bears, who hold the No. 1 overall pick with sights set on USC QB Caleb Williams. Schefter’s correct that the Steelers showed interest in Fields coming out of Ohio State with Mike Tomlin attending his Buckeyes workout and spending plenty of time with him. Pittsburgh ultimately never got the explicit chance to draft him with Fields taken several selections ahead of the Steelers, who had their eyes on RB Najee Harris.
But drawing the connection beyond that is more difficult. Fields will be an expensive acquisition with Schefter himself believing it could take a first-round pick to pry him away from Chicago. Fields’ fifth-year option is also due in May, and if the Steelers were to invest serious draft capital in acquiring Fields, they’d almost certainly pick up his option, which is now fully guaranteed. And trading for Fields means there is no competition in Pittsburgh. He’d become the clear starter with Pickett the obvious backup, a road the team doesn’t seem to have a desire to go down. Dave Bryan laid out all the obstacles of a Fields deal in December.
Last week, team president Art Rooney II indicated the team was “unlikely” to make a blockbuster trade for a quarterback and Fields would seem to qualify. If the Steelers are going to add a quarterback, they’re more likely to look at a less costly option.
The team still hopes to re-sign Rudolph. But if he wants to play somewhere else, there’s little the team can do to stop him. Using the franchise tag on Rudolph is out of the question and if he wants to leave, Pittsburgh probably won’t hold him captive.
In truth, trading for Fields is less realistic than many in the national media believe it is. Signing some other veteran quarterback, a Tannehill or the Washington Commanders’ Jacoby Brissett, is far more plausible. But Fields is likely to end up on a new roster for 2024 and until he does, the Steelers will always be in the public conversation.
