Within the span of a couple months, the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback room that consisted of Kenny Pickett, Mason Rudolph, and Mitch Trubisky has transformed into one that houses both Russell Wilson and Justin Fields. It’s arguably one of the more surprising and dramatic shifts at the position in recent memory, particularly coming from Pittsburgh.
The first move proved the easiest to make, simply releasing the greatly disappointing Trubisky. The Steelers explored re-signing Rudolph, but seemingly by the time he reached his decision, they had moved on to Wilson. Once they signed Wilson, Rudolph decided to leave, and Pickett requested a trade. All of that opened the door to trade for Fields, his asking price from the Chicago Bears having plummeted.
“Not even Nostradamus could have predicted such a series of events when the 2023 regular season ended”, Bob Labriola pointed out during his latest Asked and Answered session for the team’s website. He fielded a question asking if these maneuvers were “all in the works for some time”, a common question lately.
Based on all accounts thus far, however, this hadn’t been their Plan A by any means. I suspect that ideally they signed Wilson, kept Pickett, and re-signed Rudolph, but we know all three would have never happened simultaneously. Pickett was prepared to face Rudolph, but not Wilson, and Rudolph was prepared for a chance to compete.
That we’re sitting here in mid-March talking about Russell Wilson and Justin Fields as the Pittsburgh Steelers’ quarterbacks is still somewhat stunning, given where things appeared to be heading even a relatively short time ago.
But you don’t often have an opportunity to sign a nine-time Pro Bowl quarterback for minimum wage. Nor do you frequently find a 25-year-old starter for a conditional future sixth-round pick. The low risk of both moves is why the Steelers pulled the trigger, understanding the bust potential they bring.
One thing we know is that Wilson is the most accomplished quarterback the Steelers have ever brought in. Fields is the most athletically gifted quarterback they’ve ever had, perhaps short of Kordell Stewart. They are interesting players, but the Steelers have to figure out if they can play.
They knew, however, that their previous plan did not work, so they opened themselves to a radical departure from it. Who expected the Steelers to trade a first-round quarterback going into his third season? It feels extremely unlikely them, historically, but the unusual circumstances forced them to consider unconventional paths.
As to Labriola’s point, I strongly suspect not even the Steelers could have reasonably predicted what their quarterback room now looks like from even a few weeks ago. They have made radical changes, unquestionably, but now they need to figure out if those changes make a difference.
