A lot of eyebrows were raised when Kenny Pickett decided to move away following the addition of Russell Wilson to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Mike Tomlin and general manager Omar Khan then went out and brought in Justin Fields.
Mike Tomlin and all the other head coaches were in Orlando over the weekend, attending the NFL’s annual meeting. There, he faced the media and cleared the air on several subjects. He was asked about the general evaluation of Fields.
Oh my gosh, he oozes talent and potential. He’s worn the responsibility of being a franchise quarterback, but still, he gets the opportunity to come into a community-like situation and learn from a guy who has been doing it for over a decade. Man, there’s a lot of meat left on that bone. Mike Tomlin said about Justin Fields per Gerry Dulac of Pittsburgh Post Gazette
Since entering the league in 2021 as a first-rounder, the Ohio State graduate has only managed to win 10 games in 38 attempts. He did show some improvement last season, completing 2562 passing yards in 13 games with an accuracy of 61.4% and throwing 16 touchdowns. The Steelers traded away a conditional sixth-round pick, which could rise to a fourth if Fields plays 51% of their offensive snaps in 2024.
Mike Tomlin heaped praise on both Russell Wilson and Justin Fields
Wilson signed a one-year deal with a guarantee of $1.2 million. Moreover, the Denver Broncos have to pay him $38 million. A miserable couple of years in Denver created doubts about whether he could still be a starting quarterback in the league. Yet, Tomlin revealed that the 35-year-old surprised him with the level of research he had done before his interview earlier this month.
He did his appropriate research on us, and I think that's probably one of the more impressive things. Obviously, we anticipated being in a competitive market. I think he went to New York prior to coming to our place. So we were pleased that we were able to come together. Tomlin said
The consensus is that Russell Wilson will be the starting quarterback for the Steelers in 2024. However, the final decision will be made after the OTAs and pre-season football. So there’s still the possibility of Justin Fields getting the nod ahead of the Super Bowl winner.
Feels good about where the room is and feels good about 2024 with the quarterbacks we've got. If you had told me a month ago in Indianapolis that we’d be here and Russell Wilson and Justin Fields would be our quarterbacks, I’d say I’d be a little bit surprised. GM Omar Khan chimed in
Moreover, it baffled him to see Kenny Pickett leave because he did not anticipate the sudden change of heart from the local boy.
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