Steelers' Justin Fields Will Be Starter 'By Week Six' Detailed Tony Kornheiser

The Pittsburgh Steelers have completely revamped their quarterback room. Mason Rudolph left in free agency, Mitch Trubisky was released and signed by the Buffalo Bills, and Kenny Pickett was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles. Quarterback was arguably the weakest position on the roster in 2023, and General Manager Omar Khan fixed that by signing Russell Wilson and trading for Justin Fields, who will now form one of the best and most dynamic quarterback rooms in the league. 

When the Steelers signed Wilson, the understanding within the organization was that he would be the starter for the 2024 season. This led to the departure of Pickett, which then made the Steelers trade a 2025 conditional sixth round pick to the Chicago Bears for Fields. Even after the trade for Fields, who was the 11th overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, Wilson is still expected to be the starter for the Steelers in 2024 at the age of 35. Some analysts have said the Steelers should officially open up a quarterback competition between Fields and Wilson. Tony Kornheiser recently spoke about Fields potentially starting for Pittsburgh on his podcast, The Tony Kornheiser Show.

"I am of the opinion that Justin Fields will be a starter in the NFL for 10 plus years. I like Justin Fields, I believe by game six, Justin Fields will be the starter."

Wilson is only under contract with the Steelers for the 2024 season, and the Steelers need to decide on Fields' fifth-year option by May 2nd. Fields just turned 25 years old. If the Steelers want a future franchise quarterback, that player is Fields. It would be best to have him sit behind Wilson throughout the 2024 season and learn from an experienced veteran who has seen the highest level of success in this league, winning a Super Bowl. Wilson and Fields also have similar play styles, so the duo are a perfect mentor-mentee combination. 

Wilson quietly had an impressive season in 2023 with the Denver Broncos, and he proved he can still be a quality starting quarterback in the NFL with a solid team around him. Fields has yet to flourish in the starting role, but he has had exciting stretches where he has shown promise. When he was drafted to Chicago in 2021, they had the 27th ranked offense and 22nd ranked defense. He wasn't surrounded by a team that could succeed, now he is in Pittsburgh, with one of the best head coaches in the league in Mike Tomlin. 

Steelers Should Sit Fields In 2024

Fields should only become the Steelers starter if he clearly outplays Wilson in training camp, and Wilson struggles at the beginning of the season. Pittsburgh should avoid throwing Fields into the fire like Chicago did to him in his rookie year. In 2021, he was on a roster that also had Andy Dalton and Nick Foles. Dalton was announced as the starter at the beginning of the season. The Bears then gave Fields the starting job on short notice for the team's Week 3 matchup with the Cleveland Browns, who had one of the best pass rushes in the league.

It was Fields' debut in the NFL, and it went horribly. The Browns sacked Fields nine times, and he had just six completions in 20 attempts for 68 yards. If the Steelers plan is to let Fields sit behind Wilson, and learn from the veteran, then they need to stick to it. Throwing him into the fire in the same way the Bears did during his rookie year would be setting Fields up for failure. 

The Steelers have another reason to sit Fields in 2024, which is the conditional sixth round pick they sent to Chicago in the trade for Fields. If Fields plays over half of the offensive snaps for Pittsburgh in 2024, the pick becomes a fourth round selection in 2025. All signs point to Wilson being the primary starter throughout the 2024 season, and unless he struggles mightily, Pittsburgh should stick to that plan.