The Pittsburgh Steelers are starting Russell Wilson at quarterback and sitting Justin Fields, if one believes the reports. It is more than plausible, and there are strong indications pointing in that direction. While it is appearing increasingly obvious, Mike Tomlin is being increasingly ambiguous about it. He came close to admitting that he already has a plan but just has no intention of revealing it yet.
But is that all part of the process of playing politics? While the Steelers signed Russell Wilson to be their starter, they see Justin Fields as the potential future. At least in theory, they don’t want to injure their potential future for the sake of the present. If one buys into that, then how they handle this situation is crucial.
“The key is to making this transition without it looking like a benching of Justin Fields”, Mike Florio said on Pro Football Talk yesterday. “I still feel like Justin Fields is the guy they hope will become the long-term option, in part because he’s a decade or more younger than Russell Wilson, who turns 36 next month. That’s the key. Russell Wilson could be the better option now; Fields is the better option beyond this year”.
The Steelers signed Wilson to a one-year contract as a free agent in March. Some time later, after Kenny Pickett forced a trade, the Steelers acquired Fields via trade from the Bears. Tomlin paid lip service to the notion of competition, but it never truly felt like one.
Russell Wilson’s calf injury gave Justin Fields plenty of time to run around Chuck Noll Field, but ultimately all Wilson had to show was one drive in the Steelers’ final preseason game. That one element alone strongly indicated that any competition there may have been was far from open.
And the Steelers never claimed Justin Fields was their starter throughout this entire process. In that sense, the Steelers are not actually benching him. They are simply getting their starter back healthy and having him available to play for the first time.
For better or worse, the Steelers decided in March that Russell Wilson gives them the best chance to win a Super Bowl this year. It doesn’t appear anything that has happened since then has changed their mind. Justin Fields has them out to a 4-2 start, but recent weeks have exposed some concerning flaws while reinforcing others. As far as the future goes, neither is the clear answer, or even an answer.
There’s a chance neither is back next year.”, Florio said of Wilson and Fields “That’s what’s so weird. These worlds are colliding between the way the Steelers have always done things. This time now, especially at the quarterback position, feels unprecedented”.
All Mike Tomlin and the Steelers are trying to do is field the best team they can for 2024. If that means bruising Justin Fields’ ego despite harboring hopes of a long-term future with him, they will do that. Because one thing that is always worth nearly any price is a Lombardi Trophy. They are that hard to win, even for an organization with six of them.
