The Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback room will look very different in 2024. Russell Wilson was brought in to compete with Kenny Pickett for the starting quarterback position. Pickett, allegedly, was not thrilled with the idea, so Omar Khan traded him to the Philadelphia Eagles. One day later, Khan sent a conditional sixth-round pick to the Chicago Bears for Justin Fields.
The Bears had very little leverage as a decision on Fields' fifth-year option must be made by May 2nd. The former 11th overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft would cost over $26 million in 2025, and while that is a bargain for a starting quarterback in the current NFL, there is no guarantee that the Steelers will exercise the option. Khan and Mike Tomlin have a big decision to make.
On Tuesday, Dan Campbell, the Detroit Lions head coach, met with the media at the 2024 NFL Annual Meetings in Orlando, FL. The Lions leader was named in the recent NFLPA survey as the coach players would most like to play for. Campbell faced Fields twice per year in the NFC North, and according to Jeremy Reisman from the Pride Of Detroit, he was thrilled that the Bears quarterback would be plying his wares in Pittsburgh in 2024.
Fields was the fourth quarterback selected behind Trevor Lawrence, Zach Wilson, and Trey Lance three years ago. Fields became the latest Chicago quarterback who was less than impressive during his tenure with the Bears. However, he did show flashes of brilliance by rushing for 1,000 yards in one season and throwing 40 touchdown passes over three seasons.
This is not the first time Campbell has shown his respect for Fields as a player. In December 2023, he effusively praised the former Bears quarterback as a special talent.
"Listen, he's dangerous," Campbell said. "He's one of these rare, dangerous players, and I'll tell you what, he's done a really good job of, from last year to this year, is if it's a pass and he starts to move, he's still moving with eyes down the field much more than I felt like he had previously, and that's extremely dangerous because even in Minnesota, he had two or three receivers wide open after he had kind of run, found a way through, broke contain and all of a sudden he gets an explosive pass off of it. He is dangerous, and everything starts with him for us defensively and containing these guys."
Fields seemed to turn a corner as a passer in 2023, but the reality is that the Bears ended up with the Carolina Panthers first overall draft pick in the 2023 Bryce Young trade. The former Ohio State Buckeyes signal-caller has struggled with turnovers during his tenure in Chicago. He has thrown 30 interceptions in three seasons and fumbled the ball 38 times, but only lost 11. The Bears are expected to select Caleb Williams with the first pick overall, ultimately making Fields expendable.
Pittsburgh Steelers General Manager Omar Khan Learned A Valuable Lesson About Planning For The Future
The Steelers were heavily criticized after Ben Roethlisberger's retirement for not having a plan to replace him. The truth is that until his elbow was injured in 2019, Roethlisberger was still playing at an extremely high level at age 37. Aaron Rodgers was 36 when the Green Bay Packers drafted Jordan Love. The only quarterback the Steelers passed on in the 2020 and 2021 NFL Drafts that has turned into a high-level NFL starter is Jalen Hurts, who Kevin Colbert could have drafted in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft.
Fields has tremendous physical gifts. He might be the fastest NFL quarterback, and he has superior arm talent. If Arthur Smith can refine his game and limit his turnovers, Fields could have a tremendous second act in the NFL. If Khan can convince him to forego his fifth-year option and sign a team-friendly two to three-year deal, the Steelers will have a proper long-term plan for the quarterback position.
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