Ideally, I like to live off the 24-hour sports news cycle. A story is a story for a day and the collective world moves on to the next thing. With the exception of big and tangible events, like the Pittsburgh Steelers hiring OC Arthur Smith, the rumor mill should have a much shorter shelf life. But with the Super Bowl over and a quiet part of the offseason, the Justin Fields-to-Steelers chatter has held firm. I don’t want to be just the latest writing about the idea but it’s worth separating the bark from bite.
While Fields’ destination is unknown and nothing should be completely ruled out, there’s been an unequal amount of time of the media discussing Fields landing in Pittsburgh to the odds it actually happens. Because it probably won’t. That’s not just pure guessing. That’s just listening to the team. Though obvious to many, especially those who follow the team closely, here are all the reasons why the red-hot chatter needs a cold shower.
Mike Tomlin Believes His Starting Quarterback Is Already In Pittsburgh
During his year-end press conference, Tomlin seemed up front about the Steelers’ 2024 quarterback situation. Kenny Pickett remains the starter. The organization wants to re-sign Mason Rudolph. And they want a summer competition. At one point, Tomlin was bluntly asked if he thinks the team’s 2024 starter is on the roster.
His answer? Yes. No hedging, no caveat. Just yes, he is.
Is that an ironclad response that can’t be changed? No. But it speaks to where the team’s head is. And they haven’t given up on Pickett. Which means the Steelers aren’t spending much time thinking about big-name external options like Fields.
Pittsburgh Wants Competition, Not Undeniable Change
Similar to the above point, the Steelers don’t want to hand Pickett the job. But they don’t want to yank away the chance either. They want him to be the frontrunner in camp where he can cement his spot but provide healthy competition to challenge him to be their guy. Trading for Fields puts an end to that competition. There’s no way Pittsburgh can trade for him, almost certainly pick up his fifth-year option, and enter camp with a true “competition.” Even trying to frame it that way would be laughable.
Trade for Fields or acquire any big-name starter (Kirk Cousins, Russell Wilson, a top prospect) and competition ends. Whoever they add becomes the starter, Pickett the backup (even if he remains on the roster – if they traded for Fields, you probably look at dealing Pickett for a mid- to low-tier draft pick). Again, not what the Steelers say they’re looking for.
Art Rooney II Called It Unlikely
Rooney made waves when he said the team wouldn’t close the door on trading for a quarterback. The comment was notable, he could’ve flatly shot the idea down and no one would’ve been surprised, but it was “owner speak” common for early in an offseason.
The next day, Rooney clarified his comments and called making a blockbuster deal “unlikely.”
“I don’t want to create a lot of speculation out there that we’re going out looking to make some big blockbuster trade at the quarterback spot. I put it in the unlikely category,” he said earlier this month.
A trade of that magnitude will certainly have to get approved by ownership. And Rooney doesn’t seem to have much of an appetite. He’s someone who wants to give Pickett another shot. Which greatly reduces Fields’ chances of coming to the Steelers.
Hope For Kenny Pickett
Tying everything together, there are reasons to remain hopeful about Pickett. No question the team wants to see him work with a new offensive coordinator, especially one like Arthur Smith, who turned Ryan Tannehill’s career around. Pittsburgh hardly got the chance to see Pickett play post-Canada in 2023, a giant disappointment, and he had arguably the best game of his career against the Cincinnati Bengals the week after Canada was shown the door.
I’m not as optimistic about Pickett as the team probably is but it’s understandable why the Steelers want to use 2024 as a make-or-break year for him. He must play better, there can’t be any more excuses, but Pittsburgh needs to play him in order to make a final evaluation up or down.
Obviously, we’ve written plenty about the media’s thoughts on Fields. This isn’t a harsh critique of them and there’s nothing wrong with advocating for the Steelers to make the move if you believe it’s the right one to make. But offseason perspective is key. It’s important to lay out what we know instead of what the speculation is or what the oddsmakers predict (who have Pittsburgh the leaders for Fields, Wilson, Cousins, and probably 17 other quarterbacks).
Without even any actual reporting the Steelers will make a serious run at Fields, and based off everything the team has said, taking that big a swing is unlikely. And that needs to be part of the conversation, too.
