Former NFL OT Taylor Lewan made an appearance on Up & Adams hosted by Kay Adams today, and the two discussed the Pittsburgh Steelers’ trade for Justin Fields and how it’ll impact Russell Wilson, whom the Steelers signed last week. While the Steelers plan on having Wilson start and Fields back him up, both Lewan and Adams think it’ll end up being a competition, and Lewan thinks the competition will benefit both quarterbacks.
“Unless it’s in writing, nothing counts in the NFL. The handshake deals do not work in the NFL,” Lewan said about Wilson being told he would start. “I bet four days into camp, we’re gonna see, ‘Oh, we don’t know who the starting quarterback’s gonna be.’ But this is such a win for the Steelers. It’s gonna help them so much, because you have a first-round talent and a quarterback that’s won a Super Bowl and has had massive success in the league other than the last couple of years. So these two guys with chips on their shoulders are only going to make each other better through competition.”
Given Wilson’s contract for 2024 coming in at $1.2 million, the idea of a competition can’t be completely ruled out if Fields looks good. Lewan, who was on the offensive line in Tennessee when Arthur Smith was the team’s offensive coordinator, thinks Wilson wins the job but will be on a short leash. Either way, the Steelers’ quarterback room is much improved from where it was at the end of 2023, and both Wilson and Fields can help raise this team’s ceiling.
I spent most of the offseason frustrated over the constant chatter about who the Steelers would go after at quarterback thinking the team would go into 2024 with Kenny Pickett and Mason Rudolph competing. Now here we are, a week into free agency, and the Steelers have both Wilson and Fields under contract for the 2024 season. Omar Khan and the Steelers front office are showing us that they want to win and compete, and that’s going to extend to the field. Despite Wilson being told he’s the starter, if he struggles, the Steelers likely won’t hesitate to turn to Fields. Wilson’s contract means the Steelers have no real commitment to him outside of what they told him, and as Lewan said, unless it’s in writing, it doesn’t matter.
The NFL is a business, and if Fields gives them the best chance to win, he’ll get the opportunity. Wilson is going to get the first crack at the job, and I think he’s going to end up winning it and probably start for the whole season, barring injury, but the Steelers are serious about competing and ending their playoff drought. Fields has some potential, and if he ends up looking like the better option, he could end up starting for the Steelers.
