In the NFL, finding a good quarterback who can lead you to a Super Bowl isn’t easy in the slightest. The only thing that might be harder is trying to develop a successor to your franchise quarterback while he’s still on the roster. Some prominent stories of success include Joe Montana and Steve Young, Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers, and Alex Smith and Patrick Mahomes. However, for every successful passing of the torch, there are 10 failures. The Pittsburgh Steelers now have a tandem in Russell Wilson and Justin Fields and are hoping to be one of the lucky few with a possible transition from one QB to the next in the future.
Wilson is coming off a rough stint in Denver, while Fields is trying to avoid being labeled a bust. Both players are surrounded by question marks. Together, however, they could present a plan for the future that allows the Steelers to escape quarterback purgatory.
It seems that not everyone believes Wilson can be the kind of mentor that Fields needs to become the best version of himself though. Jason Puckett, a former Seattle sports radio personality, was joined on his YouTube channel by NFL Network analyst Mike Garafolo to discuss the situation in Pittsburgh with Wilson and Fields, with Garafolo having a very strong, negative take on it.
“I like Justin Fields, to a certain extent, and I’d be okay with him in certain scenarios where you’ve got an established starter and somebody he can learn from, but like, what’s he gonna learn from Russ? You’ve got two incomplete guys that you’re trying to shoehorn in here. I don’t get the plan,” Garafolo said to Puckett. “I don’t think it works incredibly well with what Arthur Smith wants to do offensively. I don’t know what the hell the plan is, and this is one of those where, well, it’s the Steelers and they’re gonna find a way to go 9-8. I’m not so sure this time around. This might be my stop, folks.”
It’s clear that, while Garafolo says he likes Fields, he does not think highly of Wilson. It’s true that Wilson’s level of play in Denver was extremely inadequate, but it isn’t like he hasn’t accomplished anything in the NFL. Wilson won a Super Bowl in Seattle, and should have won another one if not for one of the worst play calls of all time. His level of experience alone, both in the NFL in general and in big time games, is invaluable knowledge that could be passed on to Fields.
Just as well, Fields and Wilson have very similar play styles. Wilson may not be as athletic as he once was, but it isn’t like he’s Tampa Bay Tom Brady. The nine-time Pro Bowler can still teach Fields so much about playing the quarterback position. It is fair to say that Arthur Smith’s offense doesn’t exactly complement either player, with Wilson in particular being known as a player who prefers throwing down the sideline rather than in the middle of the field, but these are professionals. If Mike Tomlin didn’t think their styles could co-exist, he wouldn’t have brought them in.
Puckett went on to ask Garafolo if Wilson seems like the type of player who would mentor a younger player with Garafolo not giving a ringing endorsement of Wilson’s leadership abilities.
“He’s not the kind of guy that I want to be the mentor either. Sean Payton was livid last year with the way Russ was running the offense, or lack of running the offense,” Garafolo said on how volatile Wilson’s time in Denver was. “He’s made it this far in his career. He knows how to play the quarterback position, but he doesn’t strike me as the kind of guy that I’m like, ‘Boy, show him all the ways of doing things in the NFL.’ That’s not Russ to me. I don’t get it. I don’t get the whole thing.”
Whether Wilson can be a mentor remains to be seen. The Steelers didn’t sign him to be a mentor; they signed him to win football games, but it’s fair to say that they’d want him and Fields to work closely together. Wilson does have a big personality, but Tomlin is no stranger to dealing with those.
The best part of this scenario is that if Garafolo is correct, then the organization can just start over next offseason. The Steelers aren’t tied to either quarterback long-term. When it comes to accomplished quarterbacks in the league, there weren’t many available who would have been better teachers for Fields. You can’t lead a team to a Super Bowl victory by accident, after all.
