Last year, the Pittsburgh Steelers surprised many when they traded for Justin Fields. After signing Russell Wilson, it seemed like they had their starting quarterback. However, Fields presented an intriguing piece that could push Wilson for the QB1 job. Unfortunately, that didn’t really happen. Fields helped the Steelers win games while Wilson was hurt, but he spent much of the season in more of a gadget role. Now, he’s with the New York Jets, the Steelers’ Week 1 opponent. It doesn’t sound like he’s treating that game differently than any other though.
“That’s who we play Week 1,” Fields said Thursday via the Jets’ website. “There wasn’t really a thought to that.”
Fields isn’t publicly treating Week 1 like a “revenge game.” That might surprise some. Fields played well in his six starts last year, helping the Steelers get off to a 4-2 start. He never really played poorly, either. While he had some middling moments, Pittsburgh’s offense was relatively fine with him under center.
Despite that, Fields was benched for Wilson once the veteran was healthy. After Wilson’s first few starts, that looked like the right move. He started even hotter than Fields, helping add explosive plays to the Steelers’ offense.
Unfortunately, that didn’t last. Cracks started to show in Wilson’s game, and some fans began to call for him to be benched for Fields. Instead, the Steelers stuck by Wilson, using Fields in certain packages but never making him the starter again.
This offseason, Justin Fields chose to go to sign with the Jets as a free agent rather than return to the Steelers. Fields could treat the game like a big deal, being able to show his former team why he should’ve been its starter over Wilson. However, he’s taking the high road, which is probably the right thing to do.
The Jets want to win that game, regardless of how Fields feels about the Steelers. It will be his first start with his new team, so he will want to get off to a fast start anyway. There will likely be some extra emotions for Fields, but he isn’t letting them show. He was a fantastic pro in Pittsburgh, never complaining about his situation. It would’ve been surprising if that changed now.
