Justin Fields appears to be moving toward solidification of the Steelers’ starting quarterback job, one he could not win during training camp. Pittsburgh is 3-0, and Russell Wilson saw a calf injury deny him the chance to begin a starter run with the team. Wilson remains limited in practice.
While Mike Tomlin is slow-playing this matter, it would be somewhat difficult to see the Steelers pivot back to Wilson after Fields piloted the team to three wins. This always loomed as a possible scenario, despite the Steelers’ offseason party line favoring the more experienced option. Wilson’s status changed when the Steelers acquired Fields days after officially signing the 13th-year veteran, and the Bears helped steer the younger passer to Pittsburgh.
Although it remains farfetched the Bears turned down a notably better offer to send Fields to the Steelers, they are still believed to have done right by their three-year starter to move him to a team without a solidified QB1. Fields confirmed the Bears helped him out by trading him to the Steelers, indicating on Cam Heyward‘s Not Just Football podcast the NFC North team gave him a chance to choose his destination. Months before losing a higher-profile trade sweepstakes that featured Brandon Aiyuk ultimately preferring to stay with the 49ers, the Steelers benefited from a somewhat similar process — in a deal that only cost them a conditional sixth-round pick.
With Wilson looking likely to be Pittsburgh’s backup when he returns to full strength, Fields will probably cost the Steelers a 2025 fourth due to playing more than 51% of the team’s offensive snaps this season. The former first-round pick preferred this situation to others the Bears entertained, telling Heyward other teams with solidified starters pursued him. The Chargers and Ravens were two of those, while Fields added the Raiders — who did not have a surefire starter at that point — were also in the mix.
Bears GM Ryan Poles confirmed other trade paths existed, and Fields was intrigued by the Falcons, Vikings and Raiders before QB dominoes fell. The Raiders, who hired two-year Bears OC Luke Getsy to be their play-caller (after Kliff Kingsbury backed out), were viewed as unlikely to make a serious Fields pursuit in February but then — minutes before agreeing to terms with Gardner Minshew — were reconnected to the Ohio State product. Minshew heading to Las Vegas on a two-year, $25MM deal undoubtedly helped push Fields to Pittsburgh,…