After weeks of uncertainty, the Pittsburgh Steelers’ quarterback plan is clear. Russell Wilson will enter the spring and summer as the team’s starter with Justin Fields as his backup. And it’ll be Wilson’s job to lose. Getting into Wilson’s mind through ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Wilson doesn’t believe he’s at risk for giving it up.
Appearing on the Pat McAfee Show Monday afternoon, Schefter walked through the Steelers’ situation.
“It’s Russ’ job going in,” Schefter told the show of the Steelers’ plan. “And Russ can keep playing as long as he keeps playing well. You can see he’s working out, he’s all-in on this. He believes going to Pittsburgh will reignite him…he believes he’s going to play great. If Russell plays the way he expects, then he’ll keep rolling.”
Wilson is coming off a statistically sound season, throwing 26 touchdowns and eight interceptions. But he struggled with sacks and his freelance style didn’t mesh with head coach Sean Payton, who released Wilson at the start of the offseason. For the first time in his NFL career, Wilson became a free agent and despite multiple opportunities, he chose the Steelers.
With talent at skill positions, a stable organization, and strong vibe with Steelers coach Mike Tomlin, Wilson has plenty on the line this year. A strong season can extend his NFL career and earn him a monster payday in 2025 from Pittsburgh or someone else. A poor year, however, could lead to the Steelers making another in-season quarterback change.
“If he struggles, hits some speed bumps, they have Justin Fields there,” Schefter said. “That’d be an option at that point in time…going in, the Steelers have a viable backup in Justin Fields.”
Ultimately, it’s a thought already assumed. But as we wrote about this morning, with expectations high, any stumble in Wilson’s game will have fans and media calling for Fields. At some point, there will at least be an outside debate over who the team would start. Time will tell if that talk ever makes it inside the Steelers’ facility.
