The Pittsburgh Steelers' historic shakeup at quarterback in the 2024 offseason has gotten plenty of attention. It's not often that an NFL team ditches all three quarterbacks who started games for them and opts to bring in a Super Bowl winner and a former first-rounder instead. Justin Fields said he has no plans to sit and watch Russell Wilson. He's going to compete for the starting job and will have the opportunity to demonstrate his abilities. However, according to Steelers insider Mark Kaboly, it is unlikely that he will become the team's starting quarterback unless there are injuries.
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Russell Wilson stiff arms a Houston Texans defender during his time with the Seattle Seahawks.
Kaboly joined Jack Hillgrove on 93.7 The Fan's Morning Show on Monday. He broke down his feelings on the club's presumed quarterback battle. He thinks that while it's fun for people to debate about whether the team will start a 35-year-old borderline Hall of Fame-type signal-caller, with a formerly highly touted Ohio State product, it's not going to be a competition.
"Come on now, let's use our heads here for a little bit. There's nothing that Russell Wilson can or cannot do over the span of summer, spring, preseason, and training camp that Mike Tomlin is going to say, 'You know what, I think we're not going to play him and play Justin Fields instead.' There's just not enough time to be able to put in an offense, get this team acclimated to the guys around him, and then, all of a sudden, go willy-nilly and switch around your quarterbacks."
Kaboly continued that even at his absolute worst, Wilson should be good enough to hold onto the starting job. Wilson's least productive season, in passing yards came last year when he threw for 3,070 yards in 15 games. He had 26 touchdowns and eight interceptions, while adding 341 rushing yards and three scores on the ground. The Steelers haven't had a quarterback throw for more than 3,000 yards since 2021 when 39-year-old Ben Roethlisberger threw for 3,740 yards in 16 starts in his final season.
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Russell Wilson looks up at the scoreboard during a game with the Denver Broncos.
Even if Wilson is closer to the quarterback he was in Denver last season than the nine-time Pro Bowler he was with the Seattle Seahawks, it will be a breath of fresh air for a franchise that has seen some pretty mediocre to bad quarterback play since Roethlisberger retired.
Steelers Will Still Need To Evaluate Fields For The Future
The team is in an interesting dilemma when looking at the future of the quarterback position. Fields and Wilson are on one-year deals after the team decided not to pick up Fields' fifth-year option. Wilson turns 36 in November. Fields will be 26 in March 2025.
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Steelers' Justin Fields practices a handoff during 2024 Organized Team Activities.
Kaboly believes the team should use 2024 to evaluate whether Fields could potentially be the franchise's quarterback of the future. The team's priority should be to put Wilson in the best position to succeed, but having Fields as a backup option wouldn't hurt. Injuries are a reality in football—66 different quarterbacks started games in the 2023 season, and Pittsburgh was one of many teams that had to use at least three different starters during the campaign.
"I want to make a determination on him [Fields], if he could be our long-term future, rather than can he be our short-term guy," he said. "In the interim, it doesn't hurt that if something happens to Wilson, that you have a guy that at least has pedigree to come in. I'm worried about the guy learning. I'm not worried about him this year."
Pittsburgh is banking on Wilson to secure a playoff victory in 2024. The bigger question is how they will determine if Fields is a potential long-term fit and how they will evaluate that.
What did you think of Kaboly's comments? Do you see a world where Fields can beat out the veteran? Comment below!
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