The Pittsburgh Steelers may have had the steal of the 2024 offseason in fourth-year quarterback Justin Fields. They acquired Fields in a trade with the Chicago Bears, and Pittsburgh only had to give up a conditional sixth-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. The pick could turn into a fourth-round pick if Fields plays 51 percent of the offensive snaps during the 2024 season. Whether it is the fourth or sixth-round pick, the deal should be considered a win for Pittsburgh. Chicago initially wanted a second-round pick for Fields, but Pittsburgh waited it out and it paid off.
Chicago Bears
Quarterback Justin Fields celebrates after a scoring play during a Chicago Bears' game.
Fields' career was up and down during his time in Chicago, but many believe he isn't the only one at fault for the constant struggles. The coaching staff in Chicago seemed incompetent, and it appeared as though there wasn't much focus on building a good team around him. He had two head coaches during his time with the Bears, one being Matt Eberflus, who is still the head coach in Chicago.
Fields was on the most recent episode of Cam Heyward's podcast, Not Just Football With Cam Heyward, and he was asked about his career so far. One thing he was asked was whether the coaching staff in Pittsburgh or Chicago is better.
"Pittsburgh. It's not close."
Fields answered this question quickly with a big grin and laughed. It was an obvious answer, as he is now playing for Mike Tomlin, who has never had a losing season as a head coach. Eberflus looks like he is trending towards being fired after the 2024 season, and Caleb Williams is struggling in the same ways Fields did while with the Bears. They traded Fields so they could draft Williams with the first overall pick, and it hasn't quite worked out the way they imagined it would.
The Herald Star
Steelers' offensive leaders Justin Fields and Arthur Smith during warmups.
Fields is now thriving in Pittsburgh. He wasn't even supposed to be starting at this point in the year, but a lingering calf injury to Russell Wilson thrust Fields into the starting role to begin the regular season. He has taken advantage of the opportunity up until this point, as he has led the Steelers to a 3-0 record to begin the season and he has been playing efficient football.
The fourth-year quarterback has won his first three starts in Pittsburgh, which is the first time he has done that in his career. He seems to look like a new player who is benefitting from a change of scenery and is absolutely thriving under Tomlin's tutelage.
The quarterback seems to be locking up the starting role, even once Wilson returns to full health. The team is rallying behind Fields and completely buying into the quarterback. The offense looks much better than it did at this point during the 2023 season, and it has managed to improve week after week.
NFL.com
Steelers' Justin Fields throwing the football during OTAs.
Steelers' Justin Fields Is One Of The Most Efficient Quarterbacks In The League
Fields isn't at the top of any passing leaderboards, but he is playing extremely efficient in 2024 and doing exactly what the team needs him to do. He has a passer rating of over 95 on the year to go along with a completion percentage of over 73 percent. He isn't lighting up the scoreboard, as he has only thrown two touchdowns on the season so far, but he has done a good job taking care of the ball.
Pittsburgh's offense has only committed one turnover in 2024, which was an interception by Fields that got tipped up into the air. Taking care of the football is a key part of the winning formula in Pittsburgh. Fields has also done some damage with his legs, as he ran in a touchdown in Week 3 and has totaled 90 rushing yards on the season thus far.
Fields can help the Steelers win in many different ways, which makes him different from Wilson. So far, the fourth-year quarterback has shown a ton of promise for the franchise, and a lot of that has to do with the talented coaching staff of the organization.
What do you think of Fields' comments? Let us know below!
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