The Pittsburgh Steelers swung a trade to acquire quarterback Justin Fields from the Chicago Bears last month, but that came after the Steelers signed Russell Wilson to a one-year deal.
So, what does that mean for Fields heading into 2024?
The general consensus is that Wilson will begin the season as the starter and will keep his job so long as he remains productive. Fields may then end up taking the reins in 2025.
However, former NFL defensive lineman and current ESPN analyst Marcus Spears thinks that Fields will be starting much sooner than that.
During an episode of ESPN’s Get Up, Mike Greenberg asked Spears if he feels that Fields should be Pittsburgh’s Week 1 starter, and Spears responded emphatically.
“Absolutely, G,” Spears said (h/t Kyle Andrews of Pro Football Network). “Listen, I think you bring Justin Fields if you’re Pittsburgh — I love the situation he’s in with Mike Tomlin and Arthur Smith. They’ve got to give him a shot because (we) could be potentially talking about your franchise quarterback as opposed to this revolving door that they’ve had at quarterback since Ben Roethlisberger retired.”
The Steelers were able to land Fields for a conditional sixth-round draft pick.
Fields, who played his collegiate football at Ohio State, was selected by the Bears with the 11th overall pick of the 2021 NFL Draft.
While he showed flashes of his potential in Chicago, his tenure in the Windy City was largely defined by his inconsistency.
The 25-year-old did display some of his impressive ability this past season, particularly between Weeks 4 and 5 when he totaled eight passing touchdowns and one interception. However, he dislocated his thumb in Week 6, causing him to miss the next four games.
On the 2023 campaign overall, Fields threw for 2,562 yards, 16 touchdowns and nine interceptions while completing 61.4 percent of his passes and posting a passer rating of 86.3. He also rushed for 657 yards and four scores.
We’ll see if Justin Fields ends up starting the season opener as Spears suggests. More than likely, though, it will be Wilson under center.
