Bears' Justin Fields linked with AFC North club amid rumors

Not everybody is convinced the Pittsburgh Steelers will enter summer training camp practices planning for 2022 first-round draft pick Kenny Pickett to compete with longtime backup Mason Rudolph for the club's starting quarterback job. 

In a mock draft published on Monday, Kevin Fishbain and Adam Jahns of The Athletic predicted that the Steelers will send their second-round draft pick (No. 51) and a 2025 fourth-round selection to Chicago in return for quarterback Justin Fields. 

Chicago is widely expected to trade Fields at some point between the conclusion of the NFL scouting combine and the opening night of this year's draft. A plethora of analysts have routinely forecasted in mock drafts that Chicago will acquire USC star signal-caller Caleb Williams with this year's first overall pick.

The Steelers, meanwhile, face an interesting dilemma after Pickett temporarily lost his starting job to Rudolph late this past season. Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported over the weekend that "there appears to be some internal division (within the Steelers) that maybe Mason Rudolph should be the starter after the way he finished the 2023 season." 

However, Rudolph is set to become an unrestricted free agent in March and reportedly may not be a great fit to work with new Pittsburgh offensive coordinator Arthur Smith. 

Interestingly, Dulac added in the article published on Saturday that "the Steelers are not interested in bringing in a quarterback who wants to be a starter" such as Fields or Kirk Cousins of the Minnesota Vikings. One wonders, however, if the situation in Pittsburgh could change if Rudolph decides he simply wants a fresh start away from the franchise that grabbed him in the third round of the 2018 draft. 

Rudolph won three straight starts to guide the 2023 Steelers to a playoff berth, and ESPN stats show his regular-season passer rating of 118.0 would've been the best in the NFL if he finished among qualified players. As for Fields, ESPN's Courtney Cronin previously mentioned that his employer has until May to exercise the fifth-year option for 2025 attached to his rookie contract. 

It remains to be seen if the Steelers will be the team making the final call about that option this spring.