Will training camp change the Pittsburgh Steelers future plans at quarterback?
The 2024 season is still two months away, which has left fans and media plenty of time to come up with bold predictions and rumors about the future of NFL teams. The Pittsburgh Steelers are no stranger to sensational storylines, having moved on from their previous three quarterbacks (Kenny Pickett, Mitchell Trubisky, and Mason Rudolph) and replacing them with a whole new trio this offseason.
One of the three quarterbacks acquired this offseason is former Super Bowl-winning veteran Russell Wilson. Wilson was signed to a one-year deal in March, after being released by the Denver Broncos after two seasons. The Steelers also acquired former Chicago Bears first-round draft pick Justin Fields. Some have viewed Fields as a potential backup, while others are debating if Fields is in competition with Wilson for Pittsburgh’s starting job.
Following the first week of training camp, we have yet to see Wilson take a snap in practice. Wilson has reportedly been nursing a sore calf and the team is in no rush to get him on the field. But is there more to the story? Could the Steelers front office have some different ideas in mind this offseason? Let’s have a look.
Finding a new starter
Clearly, Kenny Pickett was not the answer as the Steelers starting quarterback. The Steelers started to look around for answers at the position at the close of a tumultuous 2023 season that saw the team start all three of the quarterbacks on their roster.
The Steelers seized an opportunity to add nine-time Pro Bowl quarterback Russell Wilson to their roster back in March. Wilson became available as a free agent following a rollercoaster two years with the Denver Broncos that featured more downhill twists and turns than it did any upward motion.
At one point considered to be among the elite gunslingers in the NFL, Wilson has seen his game fall off the past few years but certainly has the capability to return to a top-tier status among the league’s elite passers.
The hope is that Wilson’s time in Denver was due to mismanagement and a clash of coaching styles, and that the 35-year-old still has some gas left in the tank.
A new backup? Or a new starter?
What transpired in the days following the announcement of Wilson’s signing had most fans scratching their heads. The team went from Trubisky and Pickett as the potential future at the position since 2022, to both being dropped from the roster.
Trubisky, also a former Bears first round selection, was released ahead of the beginning of the free agency period. Mason Rudolph, who started the team’s last three regular season games and their Wild Card game against the Buffalo Bills, was not re-signed. Instead, Wilson was added and then all hell broke loose, as 2023’s Week 1 starter, Kenny Pickett, demanded a trade.
Once Pickett was dealt to the Philadelphia Eagles, the Steelers fulfilled a longstanding offseason rumor of having interest in Justin Fields. The team acquired Fields for a sixth-round draft pick in 2025 which could become a fourth-round pick should Fields play in 51% of the Steelers snaps. Fields gives the Steelers experience behind Wilson and an insurance policy should the veteran’s best days be behind him, or, he’s injured…
Not paying a premium
Both Russell and Fields are dual-threat quarterbacks, capable of moving the sticks by extending plays or using their legs. While one has a dozen years of experience and is in the twilight of his prime, the other is heading into his fourth year at just twenty-five years old but leaves questions about his decision-making, accuracy, and consistency.
However, the risk of rostering both players in minimal for their potential upside. Wilson signed a one-year, $1.2 million deal to play in Pittsburgh, while Fields is operating under the final season of his original rookie deal. (The Steelers turned down Fields’ fifth-year option, which would’ve guaranteed him north of $20 million in 2025.)
The Steelers are basically telling both quarterbacks that they have a one-year audition for a chance to return next season, which could indicate they are far from settled on their quarterback of the future.
Trade bait?
After declining Fields’ fifth-year option, there’s a debate as to whether he is in the Steelers’ plans beyond the 2024 season. The question is, does Fields provide the Steelers more value on their roster or could he be used as trade bait for someone who fills a void?
While head coach Mike Tomlin has traditionally gone with an experienced, former starter as his primary backup quarterback, there’s nothing to indicate that player couldn’t be the team’s third QB signing of the offseason, Kyle Allen. If the Steelers get cold feet, it wouldn’t be beyond the wheeling and dealing of GM Omar Khan to move on from Fields while they showcase him during camp and the preseason.
With Wilson sitting out drills during the first week, and perhaps beyond, this gives the Steelers a chance to both evaluate Fields as a potential starter while also creating some buzz around his name.
Should the Steelers decide to pull a trade, the team will have to find a suitable partner that is in need of a quarterback. One of the more outlandish ideas to surface involves the Pittsburgh Steelers and the New Orleans Saints. When I saw this, I didn’t think it was plausible, but stranger things have happened. I gave it some thought: since Drew Brees retired at the end of the 2020 season, there has been a help-wanted sign hanging in New Orleans as the team has been in search of a starting quarterback.
Current starter, Derek Carr, has only one postseason victory on his resume after a decade in the league. He enters a pivotal season, as the Saints inked him to a four-year $150 million deal last offseason. At this point, the New Orleans Saints odds aren’t that far out of playoff contention in the wide-open NFC South, which leaves them in a conundrum of either trying to grab a playoff spot or bite the bullet and rebuild.
Several other NFL teams are still searching for their answer at the position, with the Las Vegas Raiders as another potential suitor who did not land a new starter during the quarterback-heavy opening round of the 2024 NFL Draft.
Looking ahead
Again, don’t rule out Omar Khan’s ability to get the most out of his roster. This is, afterall, the same general manager that swapped WR Chase Claypool for the 32nd overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. Also consider the Steelers brought in Ben DiNucci for a tryout last week. Could another journeyman quarterback be added and if so, why? I sit to make up for Wilson’s absence in drills or is it another backup plan if Fields isn’t as advertised?
With the trade deadline set for the Tuesday after the end of Week 9, the Steelers have plenty of time to make a decision. Should they showcase Fields or not, injuries are prevalent in the NFL to make teams come calling as the season is in full swing. We saw this very scenario play out in Pittsburgh, when Joshua Dobbs was traded to the Jacksonville Jaguars after the first week of the season.
Then again, Ben Roethlisberger‘s season ended within days following that trade, leaving the Steelers with a decision to make. Will they deal either quarterback? Is either quarterback the future at the position?
This much is known: Wilson entered training camp last week as the team’s presumed starter. Unless he fails tremendously, he has even better odds of being the team’s starter in Week 1 than Trubisky had two years ago. Whether it be with the Steelers, or someone else, many believe Fields is a player with untapped potential that could be the answer to a team’s quarterback problems too.
Yet, with both quarterbacks operating under one-year contracts, neither’s future is safe. If Wilson or Fields isn’t the answer, the Steelers will find themselves back in the hunt for a starting quarterback next season. Perhaps, getting a sneak peak and deciding early to move on from one of them, getting something in return, could be a suitable path to rebuilding the team.
