Following Adam Schefter’s report on Friday afternoon that QB Kenny Pickett is being traded to the Philadelphia Eagles, it begs the question of what is the Pittsburgh Steelers’ contingency plan for Russell Wilson? Enter Chicago Bears QB Justin Fields.
Or re-enter, if you will.
Wilson signed just a one-year deal with the team, so now quarterback shoots back up to the top of the list of the Steelers’ needs. Pickett still had two years remaining on his rookie contract, and it was becoming increasingly difficult to imagine the Steelers getting a chance to see him play prior to his fifth-year option decision next May.
Now that he is gone, Fields, who many saw as an option for the Steelers early in the offseason, could very likely be back in play. With a number of quarterbacks finding their new homes around the NFL, the trade market for Fields has been weaker than initially anticipated. That could work in the Steelers’ favor.
The Bears hold the first overall pick in the draft, and many anticipate them using it on the consensus top QB option in USC’s Caleb Williams. That would obviously leave Fields without a starting job or a future within the organization.
Schefter reported that the Steelers are getting the 98th overall pick in the draft and two future seventh-round picks in exchange for Pickett and one of the Steelers’ fourth-round selections. That fourth-round pick is the one acquired via the Kevin Dotson trade from the Rams at 120 overall, and now it has been turned into a pick at the bottom of the third round.
So now the Steelers have some extra draft capital that can be used to improve the roster elsewhere or package together for a possible trade to acquire Fields.
As of a couple weeks ago, Bears GM Ryan Poles said that there had been no serious conversations with teams regarding a trade for Fields. With the dwindling number of QB jobs available in the league after free agency, it is unlikely those trade talks have picked up.
Now the Steelers emerge as a logical landing spot for Fields, and if multiple teams are not bidding the price up, they could land themselves a bargain for the 11th overall pick of the 2021 NFL Draft.
And here we thought the QB carousel could finally be put to rest for the 2024 Steelers.
