NFL insider questions Steelers' Russell Wilson-Justin Fields plan

NFL Network's Mike Garafolo is the latest to question the Pittsburgh Steelers' long-term quarterback plans after they acquired veteran Russell Wilson and 2021 first-round draft pick Justin Fields this offseason. 

"I like Fields, to a certain extent, and I'd be okay with him in certain scenarios where you've got an established starter and somebody he can learn from," Garafolo said during a recent chat with Seattle sports personality Jason Puckett. "What's he gonna learn from Russ? You've got two incomplete guys that you're trying to shoehorn in here. I don't get the plan." 

The plan presumably is for Wilson, who signed a team-friendly deal to join the Steelers after he was discarded by the Denver Broncos, to open the summer atop Pittsburgh's depth chart. Many assume Fields will receive a legitimate opportunity to win the starting job from training camp through the preseason.

Garafolo also doubts that Wilson is an ideal mentor for Fields or any young signal-caller looking to take a starting job away from the one-time Super Bowl champion. 

"[Broncos head coach] Sean Payton was livid last year with the way Russ was running the offense or lack of running the offense," Garafolo explained. "He's made it this far in his career. He knows how to play the quarterback position, but he doesn't strike me as the kind of guy that I'm like, 'Boy, show him all the ways of doing things in the NFL.' That's not Russ to me. I don't get it. I don't get the whole thing."

Unless the Steelers extend Fields' deal or pick up the fifth-year option attached to his contract by the May 2 deadline for such decisions, Pittsburgh theoretically could move on from the 25-year-old and Wilson as soon as next offseason. Perhaps staying unmarried to both through at least September is part of a plan that includes hoping Wilson or Fields will cement himself as an undisputed QB1 by Week 1 of the 2024 campaign.