The Pittsburgh Steelers are on a rampage as they reportedly acquire another star quarterback besides the veteran Russell Wilson. Now, they have traded for a young QB, Justin Fields, from the Chicago Bears. This has once again sparked a debate in the NFL world as to who will be the starting quarterback for the Steelers, Fields or Wilson?
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On Saturday, March 16, the Steelers traded Chicago Bears star quarterback Justin Fields for a 2025 6th-round pick. However, if Fields plays 51% of the snaps in 2024, the pick upgrades to a 4th-round selection. Moments after the trade happened, the 24-year-old posted a heartfelt message on X platform (formerly Twitter).
He thanked his fans and teammates for their support during his three-year stint as a starting quarterback for the historic franchise. Fields wrote,
“Can’t say thank you enough to the city of Chicago for taking me in and embracing me…But most of all thank you to my all my brothers that I played with. You all were the reason I attacked each day the way I did. I can’t thank you all enough for what y’all have meant to me over the last 3 years through the ups and downs. I wish each one of you nothing but success…”
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However, NFL fans expressed dissatisfaction upon hearing about Justin Fields’ trade, especially as the Bears now plan to draft Caleb Williams in the upcoming NFL draft. Some felt the organization let the quarterback down, while others simply wished him luck in his future endeavors.
NFL fans react after the Chicago Bears trades Justin Fields to the Pittsburgh Steelers. #JustinFields #pittsburghsteelers https://t.co/vID1heD6mD pic.twitter.com/XHzRvrBalg
— humansofnfl (@anikets67918182) March 17, 2024
A fan stated, “The entire organization failed this man. Hope to see him thrive elsewhere”
Another one wrote, “Bro was traded for dog food “
A social media user mentioned, “sorry that chicago treated you wrong justin. go ball out in Pittsburgh!”
A football enthusiast expressed, “did him dirty”
Someone else said, “Fields maturity > Bears Organization maturity/decision making”
A different one commented, “Imagine if the organization did as much for Justin fields in 3 years as they’re doing for someone whos not even on the team”
Justin Fields began his professional football journey when the Chicago Bears selected him as the 11th overall pick in the first round of the 2021 NFL draft. Since then, he has been starting games for the team. However, out of the 38 games he started, he only won 10 and lost 28. Throughout his time with the Bears, Fields completed 578 of 958 passes, with a completion rate of 60.3%. He threw for 6,674 yards, 40 touchdowns, and 30 interceptions.
Russell Wilson vs. Justin Fields for the Pittsburgh Steelers
Now that Justin Fields is on the scene, the NFL community is debating whether he will get the chance to start games over Russell Wilson. CBS’s Ryan Wilson weighed in, suggesting there should be a fair competition for the starting spot.
He mentions a tweet from a longtime Pittsburgh beat reporter indicating that Russell Wilson will be the number one quarterback, but Ryan states that it is still early and things can change. Ryan points out that unexpected events, like Mason Rudolph, the Steelers’ backup quarterback, starting the last three games, can also happen. This suggests that even Justin Fields is a tough competitor to Wilson.
The Pittsburgh Steelers made significant moves by signing Russell Wilson for a year at the league minimum salary of $1.21 million recently. Additionally, they traded their former quarterback Kenny Pickett to the Philadelphia Eagles, and their backup QB Mason Rudolph joined the Tennessee Titans.
The @steelers just turned the Pickett-Trubisky-Rudolph QB room into Justin Fields/Russell Wilson and all it cost them was a third-day draft pick NEXT YEAR and 1.2MM dollars. Nicely done indeed. https://t.co/IIR4BlSwgS
— Rich Eisen (@richeisen) March 16, 2024
Choosing the starting quarterback for the Steelers will be a tough decision. There is a good chance we will see both star quarterbacks playing and leading the team to the Super Bowl. Regardless of who starts, the Steelers are definitely a team to keep an eye on this season.