Before Russell Wilson turned into the starter and perennial Pro Bowler over the first 10 seasons of his career, he was a third-round draft pick out of Wisconsin. At the time, the Seattle Seahawks had just signed Matt Flynn to a three-year deal worth $19.5 million, with $9 million in guarantees. He was signed with the intention of being the starting quarterback for the next several years in Seattle. They also had Tarvaris Jackson on the roster, but the Seahawks drafted Wilson and head coach Pete Carroll surprisingly named it an open competition.
At the first wave of offseason training activities, Carroll told the Seattle media that Wilson had shown he needed to be a part of the competition.
By the third preseason game, Wilson had received his first start with the Seahawks. He seized that opportunity, and in a game where both teams were mostly playing starters, he completed 13-of-19 passes for 185 yards and two touchdowns as well as two rushing attempts for 58 yards.
Just two days later Carroll named him the starting quarterback for Week 1 of the 2012 season, Wilson beating out the free agent acquisition and the incumbent as a rookie. He pretty much immediately proved Carroll right with an 11-5 record, a Pro Bowl selection, and a playoff win in his rookie season.
Now Wilson is on the other end of what could be a similar situation. He signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers in free agency. The team didn’t have to invest much in him, but he has the pedigree of being a player who is making $39 million between the Steelers and the Denver Broncos from his previous extension’s guarantees.
Justin Fields is coming in as a castaway, given away for pennies on the dollar by the team that drafted him. Both are entering the final year of their respective contracts and the Steelers have very little invested in either player. Given the 10-year age difference, it would be in the team’s best interest to make it an open competition. Fields, by way of father time, has a chance to be in the league well beyond after Wilson eventually retires.
With the way things went down with Kenny Pickett requesting his way out of town, and Mike Tomlin reportedly notifying Wilson of the Fields trade to reassure him of the starting job, it doesn’t outwardly appear that the Steelers view it as a true competition. Wilson almost certainly doesn’t want it to be, given that he is trying to resurrect his career and legacy after a difficult last two years in Denver. But if that is what ends up happening, Wilson—more than most—should understand.
This isn’t to say Wilson would lose the competition. He probably has a leg up on Fields given where the two players are at in their careers, but he should at least be open to earning it to prove himself to his new teammates. Especially if he wants to eventually work out an extension with the team.
