This Easter, rather than look for eggs, many fans of the Pittsburgh Steelers are looking for any sign that Justin Fields could keep them out of the quarterback purgatory they’ve been stuck in since Ben Roethlisberger retired. It hasn’t been that long yet, but one look at the Cleveland Browns will remind a person how hard it is to find a franchise quarterback. There’s hope that Fields can be Pittsburgh’s savior, but considering how little had to be given up to acquire him, a great deal of uncertainty remains surrounding the situation.
However, this wouldn’t be the first time the Steelers traded a bag of chips for a player that would go on to change the direction of their franchise. In 1996, the team traded a second-round pick, as well as a fourth-round pick in the next year’s draft, for Bettis and a third-round pick. While that sounds like a lot more than was given up for Fields, it really isn’t that much of a step up. Getting the third-round pick meant the team only really moved down a little more than ten spots from the second-round pick they gave up. Considering Bettis served as the heart and soul of the team that won Super Bowl XL, that feels like theft.
While that is quite the comparison to make, especially considering Bettis now lives in immortality in the Hall of Fame, it isn’t said for nothing. Levon Kirkland, who played for nine seasons in Pittsburgh and earned two Pro Bowl and All-Pro selections, was a teammate of Bettis and recently made this same comparison on the What’s Really Good podcast.
“I think you bring in Justin Fields, it renews his career. Think about Jerome Bettis. Before Jerome Bettis got to us, everybody said Jerome Bettis was a bust with the Rams. They said that he was a bust. Now I played against Jerome Bettis. I knew better. I couldn’t believe we got him for a fourth-round pick. He comes to Pittsburgh, it’s the offense that he needs. It works out for him,” Kirkland said on the possibility of Fields breaking out with a fresh start in Pittsburgh.
It’s obvious now that Pittsburgh won that trade, but at the time, it took faith and belief in what a player like Bettis could become to make that a reality. It’s easy for players like Kirkland to know this considering he has played against Bettis before the two were teammates, but for everyone else, it takes patience and faith. Kirkland would then go on to expand on this comparison between the two players.
“He ends up being this incredible player, but people don’t realize, his first couple years, the Rams, who were a bad organization, thought he was a bust,” Kirkland said. “The head coach thought that Jerome Bettis could not get it done. We scooped him up, and he ends up running for all these yards, ends up getting a Super Bowl, being one of the most historic players in Pittsburgh. I’m not saying that could happen to Justin Fields, but boy, the stories are similar.”
Comparing a player to Jerome Bettis before he even plays a single snap sets a high bar, but it just goes to show that one team’s trash can be another team’s treasure. Sometimes, teams make mistakes and trade away good players for nothing. Other times, the trade is necessary for both parties to grow and develop to their fullest potential. Maybe Fields has a career similar to Bettis, and maybe he doesn’t. The important part will be if the team and Fields work together to unlock his full capabilities. Otherwise, it will be just like his time in Chicago, and Pittsburgh will continue the search for a franchise quarterback.
