With OTAs kicking off today, the Pittsburgh Steelers have received lots of attention in the NFL world, from Cam Heyward’s contract situation to the Russell Wilson/Justin Fields quarterback dynamic. Both Wilson and Fields appeared on ESPN’s SportsCenter this afternoon to discuss their relationship and their expectations for their roles heading into this season. Fields emphasized that he’s embracing the competition, saying “I definitely don’t have the mindset of sitting all year.”
Former NFL quarterback and ESPN analyst Tim Hasselbeck agrees with Fields’ sentiment. Hasselbeck appeared on ESPN’s SportsCenter this afternoon and claimed that Fields should start Week 1 for the Steelers.
“It’s a really unique situation. Russell Wilson’s game has been on the decline. There’s no financial anchor to him with the Pittsburgh Steelers. And so, while he’s going to get the first crack at it, I think it’s going to be really difficult to hold off Justin Fields,” Hasselbeck said. “Justin Fields has a lot of physical ability. He’s shown he’s got the ability to make plays in this league. And I think ultimately at some point, Justin Fields becomes the starting quarterback…I wouldn’t wait, so to me, Week 1 would be Justin Fields.”
The Steelers have hinted numerous times that Wilson is set to be the Week 1 starter, with the best source coming from Mike Tomlin, who himself declared that Wilson is in the “pole position” to start over Fields. Wilson’s 35 years old and he’s playing on a one-year contract, so it wouldn’t make too much sense to pass over him before he even gets a single regular-season opportunity. Nonetheless, Hasselbeck believes it would be the right choice because in the end, 25-year-old Fields is the potenial long-term solution at quarterback.
While Wilson isn’t the electric quarterback that he once was in Seattle, he actually showed a lot of improvement from the 2022 to 2023 season. He finished with a much-improved completion rate (66.4% vs 60.5%) and touchdown-interception ratio (26-8 vs 16-11) despite his rocky relationship with Sean Payton and the city of Denver. Tomlin has confidence in him and what he’s accomplished in the NFL, and that will give him the upper hand against Fields this offseason. But, as Hasselbeck mentioned, Fields’ physical tools could generate enough excitement to earn him an opportunity sooner rather than later.
The quarterback competition is still a relatively level playing field considering both newcomers will have to learn a new scheme under OC Arthur Smith and develop chemistry with completely new weapons. However, it should still take a lot for a three-year NFL starter in Justin Fields to overtake 12-year starter and Super Bowl champion in Russell Wilson.
For now, enjoy all the footage from OTAs, and watch these two exciting playmakers as they learn from and compete with each other all offseason.
