The Pittsburgh Steelers brought in Russell Wilson in free agency to be their quarterback, but after trading away Kenny Pickett, the team turned around and traded for Justin Fields from the Chicago Bears. The Fields/Wilson QB room has led to a lot of speculation of whether Fields could usurp Wilson as the team’s starter, and PFT’s Charean Williams believes that Wilson has one of the weakest holds on a starting job around the league.
“Are we positive at this point in their careers that Russell Wilson is better than Justin Fields? I don’t know. We know what Russell Wilson’s ceiling is, and I think he’s reached that. I don’t know that we’ve seen that from Justin Fields. Last three years, Russell Wilson, 17-27 with two different teams, 220 yards a game. He’s 35, he has hit his ceiling. I think there’s a chance that Justin Fields could end up being the quarterback of that team at some point this season.”
There’s a real argument to be made that Fields is the better option for the Steelers given Wilson’s recent struggles, but Wilson is a veteran who’s won a Super Bowl, while Fields has never led a team to a winning season. The veteran leadership of Wilson and the idea that Pittsburgh will be a better situation for him have him currently in “pole position” for the starting job, but Fields is really going to have to be leaps and bounds better than Wilson to win the job during training camp.
However, if Wilson struggles during the season, the Steelers could turn to Fields, which is where Williams’ point comes in that Wilson isn’t really assured of the job for the season. Especially given that the team is paying him just $1.2 million this season and he’s a free agent after 2024, the Steelers have really no obligation to play Wilson, so he’s going to need to play well to hold onto the job.
The ideal scenario for the Steelers is that Wilson wins the job, plays well, and holds onto it. That would likely mean that the Steelers are doing well. But if Wilson struggles, we could get a taste of Fields this season, and the Steelers could potentially look to make him a long-term option at quarterback. They could even work out an extension with him prior to the 2024 season.
If they do work out an extension, the rush to play Fields to see what he can do will be diminished, which could give Wilson a stronger hold on the job. It’s too early to make any sort of predictions about what’s going to happen. But there are a number of possibilities for how the Steelers quarterback situation could play out, and Mike Tomlin will likely be ready for any of them.
