At this point in the offseason, all signs are pointing towards the Pittsburgh Steelers re-signing either Russell Wilson or Justin Fields to be their starting quarterback in 2025. Earlier this week, Steelers general manager Omar Khan said that they would “ideally” sign one of them. Both quarterbacks shined at times last season, but they also revealed their shortcomings.
On Friday, ESPN’s “Get Up!” crew debated if it would be “Riddick-ulous” for the Steelers to re-sign Russell Wilson instead of Justin Fields. Namesake of the segment and analyst Louis Riddick said that it would be.
“Yeah, that’s ridiculous. I think Russell Wilson has already shown you how far he can go at this point in his career, and what kind of impact he can have on the rest of a roster,” said Riddick. “Pittsburgh is not set up for what Russell brings to the table from a skillset perspective right now. Justin Fields, he may not ever become the passer that ideally people would like for him to be, but he has more dynamic assets at his disposal in terms of his physical ability than what Russell has at this point.
“And they need that on their roster much more than Russell. There are better fits for [Wilson] out there right now. They don’t need him back in Pittsburgh.”
Riddick made two primary points against Wilson and in favor of Fields. First, that last year proved the limits to Wilson’s ceiling as an aging NFL quarterback in the twilight of his career. His limit being a first-round exit in the playoffs. Second, he argued that Wilson’s limited mobility hinders what Pittsburgh wants to do as an offense. Both points are valid, but is Justin Fields the solution?
Wilson flamed out at the end of the season as the Pittsburgh Steelers again collapsed when it mattered most. He gave the fanbase hope lighting it up the scoreboard mid-way through the season before the offense became completely disjointed. Wilson began taking more sacks, missed open receivers, and clearly wasn’t not on the same page with top target George Pickens.
Even during his highest points, Wilson wasn’t picking defenses apart over the middle or adding any sort of serious running threat. He was making quick reads, thriving in play-action, and tossing his signature moon-balls down the sideline. As the Steelers ran into contending teams and defenses at the end of the season, opponents caught on to what Wilson and the Steelers wanted to do, and it began to look like the Matt Canada experience all over again.
Justin Fields only started six games in the black-and-gold, with a 4-2 record, so it’s impossible to say we’ve seen how far he can go in a full season as the Steelers starter. He’s also still just 25 years-old (turning 26 in a few days), so in theory he hasn’t even reached his prime years as an NFL player yet. Remarkable quarterback revivals seem to happen every year now, with guys like Geno Smith, Baker Mayfield, and most recently Sam Darnold shaking off their “bust” labels after finding the right team and situation. Who’s to say that Justin Fields can’t be next?
Ultimately, as Riddick said, Fields fits the prototype of the quarterback that Arthur Smith and Mike Tomlin want. Tomlin has repeatedly highlighted the importance of quarterback mobility. Fields has it, and Wilson doesn’t anymore. Wilson’s a Super Bowl Champion with a Hall-of-Fame resume, but it might be time for a new destination for Mr. Unlimited.
