Justin Fields appears to be experiencing a bit of a career revival with the Pittsburgh Steelers. After being taken with the No. 11 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears, Fields was traded to the Steelers for pennies on the dollar with just a 2025 conditional sixth-round pick in return. Now he is leading one of five undefeated teams in the NFL through the first three weeks of the season.
During Cameron Heyward’s Not Just Football podcast, Fields was asked some quick-hitting questions, including if the coaching is better in Pittsburgh or Chicago.
“Pittsburgh,” Fields said without hesitation. “It’s not close.”
As opposed to the Steelers, who value continuity and stability with Mike Tomlin now coaching his 18th season in Pittsburgh, Fields’ time with the Chicago Bears was a little tumultuous with a lot of turnover on the coaching staff.
Matt Nagy was the head coach the first year he was there in 2021, but he was fired after Fields’ rookie season. The Bears then brought in Matt Eberflus, who is still with the team. Along with the head-coaching change, Fields had two different offensive coordinators with Bill Lazor his rookie season and Luke Getsy for his final two with the team.
One of the big reasons people are excited about Fields after three games with the Steelers is that he has been able to eliminate a lot of the issues that plagued him over the first three NFL seasons. He has just one interception through three games, has only taken three sacks, and has a very strong 73.3-completion percentage.
When the coaches wanted to avoid the middle of the field in Week 1 against the Atlanta Falcons, Fields executed the game plan as they prescribed. He has been playing within the system and protecting the football while still finding ways to extend plays and utilize his natural abilities and athleticism.
He was also asked the same question about better teammates in Pittsburgh or Chicago. He chose Pittsburgh.
For whatever reason, it never fully clicked in Chicago. According to Fields, the level of coaching he is receiving in Pittsburgh is better than what he received in Chicago and “it’s not close.” Coaching matters and could be one of the big reasons that Fields is suddenly developing into a viable franchise quarterback.
