In switching from Justin Fields to Russell Wilson, Pittsburgh Steelers HC Mike Tomlin made one of the most controversial and potentially consequential decisions of the 2024 season. He faced heavy backlash in the media for starting Wilson last week, though most have since retracted their criticism.
All along the way, however, Wilson insists that Tomlin has been up front and honest with himself and Fields. And they have had similar honesty and communication with one another, built upon a years-long relationship. It’s reasonable to assume this is one of the principal reasons the locker room has taken the transition so well.
“I think the biggest thing with Coach [Mike Tomlin] is, first of all, the dialogue that we’ve had has been very open and very clear with Justin and I”, Russell Wilson said last week on the Rich Eisen Show. “And a big part of it too has been just being our best every day”.
The Steelers signed Russell Wilson this offseason to start, pushing Kenny Pickett to the side. After Pickett maneuvered the Steelers to trade him, they acquired Justin Fields. While Tomlin nominally referenced a competition, there was no open tryout for the starting job.
Wilson even spent most of training camp limited due to a calf injury, hardly played in the preseason, and “won” the starting job, anyway. One presumes that Justin Fields knew what was up all along—and he did nothing special to win the job, anyway.
But, again, part of the reason things went so smoothly is because of good communication and relationships. Wilson and Fields had already known each other for years and shared a bond off the field. He said about how he “admired Justin from afar” and how they communicated while Fields was still in college.
“Playing quarterback in the National Football League, and also being a young Black quarterback, I know what that looks like and feels like and the ups and downs and the great moments, too”, Wilson said about one of the pillars of his relationship with Fields. “Over the years, Justin and I have always been close. I know his family well and everything else”.
The shared respect for the process allowed the Steelers internally to handle a situation that from the outside could have appeared very messy. The fact that both Wilson and Fields know Tomlin and the Steelers respect them certainly plays a role in this. And the respect they have for one another has been crucial as well.
“The dialogue between Justin and I has always been great, and also too between Coach [Tomlin] and us as well”, Wilson said. Unfortunately for Fields, it doesn’t look like he will dress tonight, popping up with an injury. The Steelers reportedly still want to use him on offense, but that will now have to wait.
