Pretty much since he signed, all reports have suggested Russell Wilson will be the Week 1 starter for the Pittsburgh Steelers. That much became abundantly clear when former first-round QB Kenny Pickett requested a trade out of town just days later. And if that wasn’t evidence enough, Justin Fields was reportedly told that he would be the backup to Wilson when he was traded.
But not everyone shares the opinion that the quarterback depth chart should be clear cut. NFL Network’s Steve Wyche thinks Fields has a chance to seriously compete.
“This is gonna be one of those teams to watch early on just to see how it figures out,” Wyche said in an episode of The NFL Report posted on YouTube. “Justin Fields I think is really, really gonna push Russ and could end up as the week one starter.”
In the long run, that is the ideal scenario to play out for the Steelers, so long as it is more—Fields winning the competition—and not Wilson losing it. At age 25, almost nine months younger than Pickett, Fields has the upside of being a young talent that is still ascending with the potential to play 10 or more years longer in the NFL. For Wilson, the same cannot be said as he turns 36 next season.
The other thing working in favor of holding a true competition is the very small investments they have in each of these players. Wilson signed for $1.21 million with the Denver Broncos picking up the rest of the tab, and Fields was acquired for a 2025 conditional sixth-round pick.
For the first time in head coach Mike Tomlin’s tenure, there isn’t a first-round quarterback, or a quarterback carrying a franchise-level salary. The politics that come with large contracts and first-round labels are no longer present.
Last season, Pickett was the starter as the former first-round quarterback, Mitch Trubisky was the primary backup with a salary over $7 million per year, and Mason Rudolph was the third quarterback on a minimum contract. We saw how that competition probably should have played out by the end of last season.
“If there is a coach in the NFL that’s gonna put the best players on the field, it is Mike Tomlin. We’ve seen that. He’s got a history of playing whoever’s gonna give their team the best chance to win,” Wyche said. “And that’s just not a cliche with him, and if Justin Fields outperforms Russell Wilson in training camp, he will be the week one starter.”
While there are certainly circumstances of higher pedigreed players getting more opportunities, Tomlin did prove that he is willing to make uncomfortable decisions at the end of last season when he stuck with the hot hand of Rudolph over Pickett, including in the playoff game.
Team President Art Rooney II expressed that his patience was running thin with the lack of playoff wins in his end-of-season press conference. Don’t think the Steelers will shy away from making another tough quarterback decision to improve results, this year more than most.
