There will be no quarterback competition in Pittsburgh this summer, as the Steelers have told Justin Fields, who they reportedly acquired via trade from the Chicago Bears, that he’ll be Russell Wilson’s backup.
Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported the news on Twitter.
That’s little surprise, as the Steelers had reportedly told Kenny Pickett that Wilson would have the first crack to win the job, which led to him wanting out. Pittsburgh will now have Fields to develop behind Wilson, as Wilson isn’t getting younger as he’ll turn 36 during next season. Fields has been Chicago’s primary starter for the past two years, throwing for 6,674 yards and 40 touchdowns during the course of his career, so he also gives the Steelers an experienced starter as a backup.
A first-round pick in 2021, Fields had limited interest on the trade market and that led to the Steelers acquiring him for just a 2025 sixth-round pick that can turn into a fourth-rounder based on playtime. That leaves the Steelers little pressure to have to start Fields, and the team can take it slow with him after he spent the last two seasons starting for the Chicago Bears.
The Steelers have now found their backup for Wilson barely 24 hours after trading away Kenny Pickett to the Philadelphia Eagles, but Pittsburgh wants to take four quarterbacks to camp so they will likely through the draft or a free agent to continue to fill out the quarterback room. But as it stands right now, Wilson is Pittsburgh’s QB1 with Fields waiting in the wings in case he struggles or gets injured.
The Steelers’ crazy offseason continues by adding a former first-round quarterback in Fields. General manager Omar Khan has remade the roster by signing Wilson along with LB Patrick Queen while trading away Pickett and trading for Fields. The Pittsburgh quarterback room looks a lot stronger right now than it did at the end of the 2023 season, and this offseason has proved that Khan and the Steelers are serious about ending their playoff drought.
The Steelers haven’t won a playoff game since the 2016 season, and with a defensive core that features Cameron Heyward and T.J. Watt, two players who haven’t experienced a ton of playoff success in Pittsburgh, the Steelers are looking to get deep in the playoffs.
They’ll now enter a new era with an experienced, Super Bowl winning-quarterback in Wilson and an intriguing young backup in Fields who offers some potential behind the veteran. We’ll see if it leads to more success.
