Justin Fields specifically wanted to join the Pittsburgh Steelers. Reports indicated that his agent requested he not be traded to certain teams, and that the Chicago Bears potentially had better offers that they passed up to do right by Fields. He would have made this decision knowing full well that Russell Wilson had the inside track to be the starting quarterback. He watched Kenny Pickett request his way out of town, and then a few days later he was dealt to the Steelers.
He told the media that he didn’t come to Pittsburgh to sit on the bench all season. His plan is to compete, but how much of a genuine competition is there going to be? Russell Wilson was given pole position, so what would have to happen for Fields to surpass him on the depth chart. One Yahoo Sports NFL reporter thinks that all depends on Wilson, not Fields.
“I really wanna understand like how much is it Justin’s choice slash agency slash ability. I just feel like even if Justin looks good, even if he looks mobile, he looks dynamic, he’s more on time with the offense than maybe he was in Chicago, I don’t think it’ll matter because I think that for now this is Russ’s job to lose,” said Jori Epstein in a recent episode of Zero Blitz on Yahoo Sports’ YouTube page. “If Russ struggles and Justin does well, that’s when you start to have it…Justin does not control his own destiny here. Russ controls the destiny, and then if both of them have the right alignment of the stars, then Justin has a situation.”
Epstein believes that he has a chance to be productive in a limited role to set himself up to be a starter in 2025, but this season will be spent backing up Wilson.
The nature of the competition has been made pretty clear up to this point. The majority of the first-team reps were reportedly given to Wilson during spring practices. Though Arthur Smith did say the competition will heat up at training camp. It is hard to give any absolutes before the pads have even come on.
While I largely agree, I would push back a little on Epstein’s stance here. Justin Fields controls his destiny in the sense that he can earn more looks in package scenarios. That will ramp up the pressure even further and increase his odds of supplanting Wilson in the middle of the season if he performs well in that role.
He has age on his side. Nearly a decade younger than Wilson, Fields has an opportunity to earn a second contract with the Steelers and become the quarterback of the future beyond 2024. There is another obstacle to overcome there. Wilson and the Steelers have already reportedly expressed interest in an extension after this season.
The Steelers have every reason to want an extended look at him prior to free agency next March. While he may not begin the season as the starter, there are at least decent odds that he starts a game at some point in 2024. Whether that is due to injury or poor performance on Wilson’s part.
