After one of the busiest starts to free agency the Pittsburgh Steelers have ever had, it seemed like Saturday would be a calm and quiet way to lead into the weekend. Until it wasn’t. After officially signing Russell Wilson on Friday, trading Kenny Pickett away hours later, the Steelers dealt for Justin Fields Saturday night.
Because why not. It’s how the offseason has been. One of major changes and shifts. No longer are the Steelers coloring ever-so slightly outside the lines. They’re going big.
The offseason began indicating the Steelers didn’t intend on making radical shifts at quarterback. For most, myself included, the team’s intent was to have a Kenny Pickett versus Mason Rudolph training camp battle. Perhaps that was the team’s plan or at the least, a fallback option, uninspiring as it might be. But when Russell Wilson agreed to sign with the Steelers, the unique situation of his contract opening the door for Pittsburgh to sign him, the dominoes began to fall. Wilson came in and Pickett went out, asking for a ticket out of the city and to the cross-state Philadelphia Eagles.
It meant Pittsburgh needed a competent backup quarterback. They went through three of them last year and watched half the league struggle to stick with one healthy starter throughout the year. Cleveland started five. Cincinnati played their stretch run without Joe Burrow. Lamar Jackson stayed healthy, won MVP, and the Baltimore became the AFC’s top seed. That put Fields back on the table. Like Wilson, his situation made him more appealing. With no team banging down the Bears’ door to get him, his market value dropped and Chicago essentially gave him away for, at best, a fourth rounder next season. Based on how Steelers’ players and coaches are reacting, they can feel what the team is driving to do.
Pittsburgh’s quarterback room in 2023 consisted of Kenny Pickett, Mitchell Trubisky, and Mason Rudolph. In 2024, it’ll be led by Russell Wilson, Justin Fields, and someone else. Which at this point, don’t count anybody out. Omar Khan can work his magic.
Quarterback was the headline. But it was far from the only attraction. Following two weeks of rumblings, the Steelers traded WR Diontae Johnson to the Carolina Panthers for CB Donte Jackson and some draft picks. A deal they arguably lost but have the chance to replenish by selecting a receiver early in next month’s draft. Good move or bad, it was a major decision, sending a starting receiver on his way.
Tuesday, the team agreed to terms with its highest-paid outside free agent in team history in LB Patrick Queen, who will earn an average yearly value of $13.67 million per season. There was little question the team would add an inside linebacker, still uncertain over Cole Holcomb’s future, but taking a swing on a top-market guy like Queen wasn’t anticipated. Pittsburgh got him on a deal favored heavily towards the team. Even in all those big-name moves, the Steelers didn’t ignore sensible signings like SS DeShon Elliott or retaining their own in All-Pro special teamer Miles Killebrew. It’s not all flash or top-heaviness. The roster is being rounded out.
And it’s only mid-March. Who knows what happens from here. At some point, activity figures to slow down. But under Khan, what move could possibly be ruled out anymore? The mantra of “that’s just not what Pittsburgh does” is an antiquated though. The old Steelers way of dipping their toes into the water, getting a little better here, slightly worse there, it’s out the window. Pittsburgh is cannon-balling into the pool.
They talk the talk and walk the walk about rebuilding, not reloading. Frustrations over seven years without a playoff win are driving them to make every move possible for the Steelers to win now. All while not sacrificing their future. They’ve capitalized on great opportunities in Wilson and Fields, getting them for cheap, while not abandoning their contractual principles on the Queen deal.
Being a prisoner of the moment is very real. It’s easy to forget about what’s happened in the past and react to the present. But it’s inarguable this has been the Steelers’ busiest and most fascinating offseason ever. Nothing else comes close to compare. Khan has put his stamp and spin on the team. It’s a long ways until the regular season opens in September. Who knows what else he has up his sleeve.
