Justin Fields preparing to compete with Russell Wilson for Steelers' starting QB spot

While addressing the Pittsburgh media in the locker room, Justin Fields claimed that he will be competing for the Steelers starting spot and that he does not plan on sitting all year.

Despite these comments, Fields also said in an article from The Athletic that there is a lot to learn from Wilson. While he may be closer to his athletic prime, Wilson has a wealth of experience that likely makes him a better fit for the 2024 Steelers offense.

“The fact that I get to learn stuff from him and the things he’s accomplished up to this point in his career has been great,” Fields said. “Just me learning the little details, how he’s so meticulous and detailed with every rep, every individual drill, makes me think that’s what I should do every time. I’m happy to have him here and happy to be able to learn from him.”

The Pittsburgh Steelers never guaranteed Russell Wilson he would be the starter

According to Brooke Pryor of ESPN, Wilson was never guaranteed the starting position before he signed. Not only that, but he never asked for the guarantee during the signing process as described in an article from Steelers Now.

“Wilson didn’t ask for assurances about a starting job, according to a source familiar with the conversations, and the Steelers didn’t give any.

“He’s competed all of his life,” the source said. “He’s not afraid of it,” Pryor wrote.

Despite that truth, head coach Mike Tomlin made it clear that Wilson’s experience gives him a massive leg up when it comes to competing for the starting spot.

“We’ve been very transparent about the pecking order, at least to start,” Tomlin said. “I just think that provides clarity for all parties involved. Russell is a veteran, man. He’s got a proven process of readiness. He’s been in this league a long time, and he’s capable of rallying troops, receivers, tight ends, and running backs;

he’s just got a lot of experience in terms of what it takes over a 12-month calendar. I just think that that’s something that a younger guy like Justin can learn from, and it provides clarity for all parties involved as they do some of the informal things at this time of year.

You know, whether it’s coming together to workout in destinations and things of that nature. Rest assured, when it’s time to compete, Justin will given an opportunity to compete and we’ll allow those guys to sort themselves out. But I thought it was appropriate to describe it in a way for when we get started.

Russell’s in pole position, and I think his body of work justifies that. And just from my conversations with Justin, he is excited about working alongside Russell and learning some of those veteran tricks of the trade from behind a guy who has been around for over a decade.”

The starting quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers has yet to be officially confirmed by anyone from the team, but the chances of Fields trotting out there with the Steelers’ offense as the main signal-caller are slim.