mobile app bar

“We’ve Seen What Russell Wilson Can Do”: Cam Newton Wants Justin Fields as Steelers’ QB1

Reese Patanjo
Published

Justin Fields, Russell Wilson, and Cam Newton

There’s a bit of a QB1 dilemma brewing in Pittsburgh once again. After many questioned whether the team should switch to Russell Wilson over Justin Fields earlier in the season, they decided to let Russ take the helm and lead them to the playoffs. But a swift first-round exit gave the team a glimpse of Russ’ true ceiling.

To avoid repeating the same story, Cam Newton is advising the team to go with Fields next season, citing his higher ceiling and the fact that he’s never had a chance to truly develop in Chicago.

Newton has always been high on Fields. The skill set and the way he plays are similar to the style with which Cam won an MVP award with the Panthers. Fields is a speedy QB who can rush for over 100 yards with ease if the defense lets him. He also has a decent arm but has never been able to put up gaudy passing numbers.

Inversely, Newton has never been high on Russ. Especially this season. When he led the Steelers to five straight wins after getting the start, Newton called Wilson’s play “average at best.” There’s something about Russ that Newton doesn’t see when it comes to leading another team to the Super Bowl. And, heading into the 2025 season, Newton is sticking to that stance.

“Two of the four game-changers in this league are in this division (AFC North) — Ravens, Lamar Jackson. Bengals, Joe Burrow,” Newton said on First Take. “How do we compete with those guys? If anything, I’m saying give (the starting job) to Justin Fields. Build with him. He’s a young player that you can build with. We’ve seen what Russell Wilson can do. You’ve seen what Fields can do also.”

It’s a take that came much to the disagreement of Dan Orlovsky and Stephen A. Smith. They believe that the Steelers have already bailed out on Fields and that the fix at QB is either going to come through the draft or free agency.

Newton believes in Fields

Cam has had his belief in Fields for quite some time now. Going back to December, during the Steelers’ tumultuous end to the season, Newton went on First Take and shared that he didn’t think Russ should be back with them next year. It’s a bit of a harsh take for a veteran QB who turned the team around and led them to the playoffs, but he may have had a point.

As hard as it is to admit, the problem in Pittsburgh right now isn’t Russ. It’s Mike Tomlin. And it’s not because he’s a bad coach. In fact, he’s one of the greatest of all time. But his unwillingness to gamble on possibly having a losing season in the hopes that other aspects of the team can develop is becoming more evident.

Pittsburgh is stuck in the middle. They haven’t recorded a losing season since 2003, which is incredible. But they also haven’t won a playoff game since 2016. The Tomlin era started as a dominant, elite force but has slowly developed into a good, but not great, team. Maybe Newton’s idea of taking a shot on Fields isn’t such a bad idea after all. He was the 11th overall pick in the 2021 draft and showed flashes in Chicago.

It might require the Steelers to lose some games and put the winning season’s record in jeopardy. But honestly, who cares about that at this point? It’s great that Tomlin has shown he hates losing and is adamant about winning, no matter what. But sometimes it’s smart to let your young QB take some lumps in the hopes he turns into something special.

It’s what the Bills did with Josh Allen. And what the Rams did with Jared Goff. The road to greatness is not always a straight line. Somebody needs to give Fields at least one more chance. We’ll see if it’s the Steelers who take that bet.

Post Edited By:Samnur Reza

About the author

Reese Patanjo

Reese Patanjo

linkedin-icon

Reese is an NFL Journalist for The SportsRush. He was a University of Oregon graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in writing and communications. A fan of the NFL since he was young, Reese is a Dallas Cowboys fan at heart. However, his favorite NFL moment was the 54-51 Monday night game between the Rams and Chiefs in 2018. Reese's favorite player changes with time but currently he reps Trevon Diggs and CeeDee Lamb jerseys. When he isn't watching the NFL, you can find Reese engulfed in any of the other major sports. He's a massive MLB fan, go Red Sox. He also loves the NBA and College Basketball. But pretty much any sport, Soccer, NHL, PGA,- you name it, Reese watches.

Share this article