Tag: Justin Fields

Grade the Steelers 2024 offseason ahead of the 2024 NFL draft

Cast your vote and tell us how you thnk the Steelers have done so far this offseason.

2024 has been one of the busiest and most interesting offseasons in the history of the Pittsburgh Steelers. General Manager Omar Khan continues to be aggressive, wheeling and dealing to rebuild several positional units. The highlights have centered on the team going from Kenny Pickett, Mason Rudolph and Mitch Trubisky to Russell Wilson, Justin Fields and Kyle Allen as the new quarterback depth chart.

Having said all that, Pittsburgh is 10 days away from the 2024 NFL draft with several starting spots unsettled. The team currently needs a starting center and wide receiver as well as an upgrade at offensive tackle and possibly cornerback.

It is hard to imagine the draft is going to yield every position the Steelers need and there will need to be more work done heading into offseason workouts and training camp.

But as of now, what grade do you give Khan and the Steelers front office for everything they have done prior to the draft?

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Steelers HC Mike Tomlin: Justin Fields’ past ‘not my business’

For Mike Tomlin, it’s about what Justin Fields can do for the Steelers and not what he did (or didn’t) do for the Bears. 

A new era is upon us with the offseason additions of Russell Wilson and Justin Fields. Gone are two quarterbacks who wound up being experiments and another who the Pittsburgh Steelers didn’t entrust to hand the keys to the car.

Fields’ previous team didn’t trust him, either, as evidenced by the Chicago Bears’ surrendering for a can of I.C. Lite.

But for Mike Tomlin, the reasons why Chicago didn’t want their former first-round draft pick around anymore doesn’t matter; it’s water under the bridge.

“I’m not judging anything that was done in Chicago,” Tomlin said at the NFL annual league meeting last month. “That’s not my business. I just look at the pedigree and the talent, the things that are not relative to coaching.”

For Tomlin, it’s about what he can do for the Pittsburgh Steelers and not what he did (or didn’t) do for the Chicago Bears.

Armed with a fresh start, Fields has an opportunity to redeem himself. Was it Fields, the Bears or a combination of the two? That’s in the rearview, and the young quarterback can forge a new path, especially if he remains in the Black and Gold beyond the 2024 season.

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How much better off are the Steelers with QBs Russell Wilson, Justin Fields?

The Steelers 2024 season will look vastly different than it has in years past.

This coming season will look vastly different for the Pittsburgh Steelers — even more so than it did the season after Ben Roethlisberger retired.

After firing Matt Canada and replacing him with Arthur Smith, Pittsburgh completely dismantled its quarterback room this offseason. Everyone was out: First, Mitch Trubisky, then Mason Rudolph and Kenny Pickett. They were replaced by two guys on opposite ends of the spectrum in nine-time Pro Bowler and Super Bowl champion Russell Wilson and work-in-progress Justin Fields.

Will the Steelers be better off from a record standpoint merely because they upgraded at the quarterback position?

The Athletic’s Mark Kaboly doesn’t believe it’s as simple as that.

“Some look at the 10 wins last year and just automatically say it can be 12 in 2024,” Kaboly wrote in a recent mailbag. “But what about the games they won that they easily could have lost? Cleveland, Baltimore, Green Bay and Tennessee are four games off the top of my head that the Steelers easily could have lost.”

Except for the Week 16 win over the Cincinnati Bengals, each of Pittsburgh’s 10 wins was by a touchdown or less.

Of course, as key as quarterback play is, football is a team sport, and any number of aspects can determine the outcome.

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Why the Bears will never regret trading Justin Fields

The Bears traded Justin Fields to the Steelers this offseason. Here’s why they’ll never regret the decision.

The Chicago Bears traded Justin Fields to the Pittsburgh Steelers earlier this offseason, where he’ll compete for the starting job with Russell Wilson.

The move, which was expected all offseason, was made in preparation for the arrival of Caleb Williams, who will be the first overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft. Fields failed to live up to the hype, and general manager Ryan Poles opted to move on (and reset the rookie quarterback contract) with Williams.

No matter what happens, the Bears aren’t going to regret trading Fields. The hope is that Williams will be a star in the NFL, as he was in college, but they won’t regret moving Fields even if Williams doesn’t turn out to be good. If Fields turns out to be a good player in Pittsburgh, it will be because they know what they are doing.

The Bears have never developed a quarterback, and Fields wasn’t given a fair shot at becoming a star. He’s a very athletic player who has talent, but the Chicago wasn’t able to unlock it, and they were never going to be able to. Poles had other ideas when he was hired, and Fields had to be great to change his mind. He wasn’t.

It was the right decision to move on from Fields, as the Bears needed to start over. All eyes will be on him when he gets his opportunity in Pittsburgh, but Chicago will have already moved on. This franchise should have higher hopes than what they’ve been given in recent years.

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Steelers WR George Pickens ready for a jersey number change

George Pickens wants that No. 1 jersey.

Tis the season for jersey number changes. Earlier in the week, the Pittsburgh Steelers announced the jersey numbers for all of the new additions including quarterbacks Russell Wilson and Justin Fields. We’ve already talked about former Steeler Antonio Brown having concerns with new Pittsburgh wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson taking his old number.

Meanwhile, Steelers wide receiver George Pickens is shooting his shot and trying to get Pittsburgh to change his jersey number to No. 1. So Pickens took to Instagram to plead his case to his team.

Pickens wore No. 1 during his college career at the University of Georgia. The Steelers brought in Fields in a trade with the Chicago Bears where he wore the number but the Steelers switched it up to No. 2. This tells us the Steelers aren’t giving any player No. 1 so Pickens is going to be out of luck.

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Former Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields will change his numbers with Pittsburgh

Goodbye to JF1 #GoBucks

For years, former Ohio State quarterback, [autotag]Justin Fields[/autotag], has worn the jersey No. 1, but that will change in his first season with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

JF1 will be no more, as Fields will now don the No. 2 with his new organization. Typically when a player goes to a new team and wants his old number, there is an exchange with the current wearer of the jersey.

No one is actually wearing the No. 1 for the Steelers, as the last player to wear that number was quarterback Anthony Wright in 1999. Previously it was Hall of Fame kicker, Gary Anderson, who had the distinction of wearing it, but the list of wearers is short. Pittsburgh all-time has had just six players wear the number.

It could be that Fields chose the number due to the Steelers being his second team or the tradition behind it. Surely we will find out the reason, but for now, we know that Fields will wear No. 2 this season.

Contact/Follow @BuckeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes and opinion. Follow Michael Chen on X. 

Who should be the Steelers starting QB be in 2024?

Cast your vote and tell us who you think should be the starting quarterback this season.

The Pittsburgh Steelers front office had one big job this offseason. Rebuild the quarterback depth chart. And boy howdy did they do it. Out are Kenny Pickett, Mason Rudolph and Mitch Trubisky. In are Russell Wilson, Justin Fields and Kyle Allen.

For the Steelers, they haven’t come right out and said Wilson was promised the starting job before joining the team but it is implied. But Fields is an incredible talent and we have no idea how quickly he will integrate himself into Arthur Smith’s offense. In fact, the same can be said about Wilson.

With all things being equal, who do you believe should be the starting quarterback this season? Wilson was a shadow of his former self in Denver but most believe he has better football in him. And Fields is a remarkable athlete who has shined in the NFL when he operated in the right system.

Cast your vote and tell us not who you think will start at quarterback this season but who should.

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Steelers QB Justin Fields makes jersey number switch

Steelers QB Justin Fields has made the switch from the No. 1 he wore with the Bears.

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Justin Fields has made a jersey number switch.

According to the NFL Jersey Numbers, which appears to have the skinny on the numbers of players who have found new homes this offseason, Fields will sport No. 2. Last week, David Kaplan of ESPN Chicago reported that the new Steelers quarterback would wear No. 5.

Why can’t Fields stick with No. 1, a number he’s worn since his high school days? It last belonged to kicker Gary Anderson from 1982 to 1994, and it’s likely unofficially retired. Quarterback Anthony Wright wore it in 1999, but he never appeared in a game.

Anderson, drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the 7th round of the 1982 NFL draft, was cut before the season. Buffalo’s loss was Pittsburgh’s gain, as he remained with the team for 13 seasons, racking up 1,343 points. According to StatMuse, Anderson is their all-time points-scorer by a kicker, with Boswell behind him with 969 points.

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Saints suggested as a good fit for Jets draft bust Zach Wilson

The New Orleans Saints were suggested as a good fit for New York Jets draft bust Zach Wilson. But they shouldn’t trade anything for him:

Where will Zach Wilson play football in 2024? The New York Jets draft bust has been given permission to look for a trade partner, but there haven’t been many takers. With other former first-round quarterbacks changing teams it feels like only a matter of time until Wilson ejects.

It just might be difficult for him to find a parachute first. Throwing 25 interceptions in 33 starts will do a lot to turn off suitors. Despite that, CBS Sports’ Cody Benjamin argues that the New Orleans Saints could be interested in Wilson’s services, writing:

There isn’t exactly a strong market for a former top-three pick whose erratic quarterbacking resulted in multiple demotions, but at just 24 with dual-threat traits, Wilson could be a low-risk reclamation project for a contender. The return would almost certainly not exceed that which the Bears or Patriots got for Justin Fields and Mac Jones, respectively. But one thing’s for sure: The Jets have had their fill, with the aging but superior Aaron Rodgers once again back in the saddle.

There are some coaches on staff Wilson knows well like John Benton, the former Jets offensive line coach, and Wilson wouldn’t face as much pressure competing with Jake Haener to back up Derek Carr. He’d be more competitive in that role than Nathan Peterman will be.

But is it worth trading anything for him? Probably not. If the vision is for Haener to knock down whatever punching bag the Saints set in front of him, it makes more sense to sign a player like Peterman on a non-guaranteed minimum salary than to invest draft capital in Wilson (even if it’s nothing more than a late-round pick). And there’s the possibility of Wilson being released outright. If that comes to pass, then it’s worth seeing if Wilson is willing to match Peterman’s modest salary.

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Justin Fields was interested in being traded to Vikings

Recent ESPN piece reveals the Minnesota Vikings as one of four teams that Justin Fields showed interest in

ESPN’s Brooke Pryor gave an inside look into a rapid and remarkable transformation of the quarterback room for the Pittsburgh Steelers in her exclusive coverage of the NFL Owners’ Meetings.

Inside the report was a detailed look at how the Steelers could pivot from 2023 first-round pick Kenny Pickett to a room with former Denver Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson and former Chicago Bear Justin Fields.

In the article, Pryor revealed Fields’ four targeted destinations before free agency started. Alongside the Steelers, Atlanta Falcons and Las Vegas Raiders, Pryor listed the Minnesota Vikings as a desired location for Fields.

Leaving out that the Bears were probably not interested in seeing Fields twice a year in purple and gold, the Vikings continue to be one of the preferable destinations for quarterbacks.

Top quarterback prospects Jayden Daniels and J.J. McCarthy have both had nothing but praise for the Vikings brass and their vision for the next franchise signal-caller.

Minnesota has a great situation to help foster the development of a young quarterback from a deadly arsenal of weapons to a staff ready-made to get the most out of a quarterback. Fields’ desire to possibly don the purple and gold is just another example of that.

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