Ever since he went 4-2 to start the 2024 season, Pittsburgh Steelers fans have wondered about what a full season might look like with Justin Fields under center. On Monday, those hopes were dashed. Fields has agreed to sign with the New York Jets, on a two-year, $40 million deal.
In a new environment, Fields has a lot of potential that could be fully unleashed. He had some nice moments in Pittsburgh, but the Steelers never gave him full control of the offense. Analyst Brian Baldinger appeared on NFL Network on Monday and made the case that the Steelers never utilized Fields to his fullest potential.
“And maybe under new [Jets] offensive coordinator, Tanner Engstrand, they will do a little bit more than what I thought Pittsburgh would have done,” Baldinger said of Justin Fields. “I don’t think they really put him in position last year to be that dynamic playmaker that we saw in Chicago at times. He did take care of the football. though, and he seemed overly cautious in doing that.”
“Cautious” is a good way to describe the offenses the Steelers have had in recent years. When Fields took over, that was certainly the approach Pittsburgh took. Especially in the first couple games, Fields rarely targeted the middle of the field. The Steelers preferred him taking off with his legs than making bad decisions in the pocket. That’s exactly what he did.
At least in result, it ended up working in Pittsburgh. Fields won four of the six games he started, with both of his losses coming in close games. He generally played mistake-free football and used his legs as a weapon. To be fair to the Steelers, it wasn’t like they went into the season planning to start Fields. Russell Wilson had pole position of the starting job for a while but aggravated a summer calf injury 72 hours before the Steelers’ opener.
All of that said, Fields can still unlock more to his game. After a tough stint in Chicago to start his career, and an abrupt benching in Pittsburgh once he started to find some sort of consistency, getting on solid ground for a full season would provide his most accurate evaluation.
While the Jets haven’t been the most functional franchise, they represent a fresh start. There’s a new regime there, and Fields will reunite with his college teammate in wide receiver Garrett Wilson. Fields represented a potential building block for the future in Pittsburgh. Once again, the Steelers will have to turn to a veteran option instead.
