The Pittsburgh Steelers signed Russell Wilson at the onset of the 2024 NFL offseason, but they then later went and swung a trade with the Chicago Bears for Justin Fields.
Wilson is expected to be the starting quarterback come Week 1, but that does not necessarily mean his job is entirely safe.
The Steelers only signed Wilson to a one-year deal, which has led Jody Battista of NFL.com to project that Fields will eventually usurp him as the starter this coming season.
“That minimal investment by Pittsburgh [in Wilson] means there will be little to keep it from turning to Fields if Wilson struggles,” Battista wrote. “Arthur Smith is an experienced and successful offensive coordinator, but any struggle by Wilson — and playing against the defenses in the AFC North gives quarterbacks plenty of chances to struggle — will open the door to Fields, whom the Steelers would almost certainly like to see play before having to decide on his future. I’m calling it: Wilson wins the starting job out of camp, but he won’t hold on to it, and Fields will have Terrible Towels waving for him.”
It’s certainly an interesting situation, but we can’t be so sure that Wilson will struggle, either.
Russell Wilson Proved He Still Has Something Left In The Tank
For all of the talk about how terrible Wilson was with the Denver Broncos, he actually wasn’t bad in 2023, throwing for 3,070 yards, 26 touchdowns and eight interceptions while completing 66.4 percent of his passes and posting a passer rating of 98.
Did he look like the same Russell Wilson from his Seattle Seahawks days? No, but it was a major step up from his debut campaign with the Broncos in 2022 when he totaled 16 touchdowns and 11 picks.
Plus, it’s not like Fields has shown that he can be a reliable starter, either.
The 25-year-old had his best season to date this past year, totaling 2,562 yards, 16 touchdowns and nine interceptions while completing 61.4 percent of his throws and registering an 86.3 passer rating. He also rushed for 657 yards and four scores.
Fields is definitely talented, but he has not displayed any consistency thus far and hasn’t given anyone any genuine reason to believe he can be a dependable full-time starter. Not yet, anyway.
Of course, Fields is considerably younger than Wilson, so if Wilson does struggle, Pittsburgh may find it appropriate to make a rather quick switch to Fields, who could end up being the club’s quarterback of the future if all goes well. The same can’t be said for Wilson, who is now 35 years old.
We’ll see how Russell Wilson performs in his new digs come September.
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