With roughly a month to go before the start of the preseason, offseason speculation has reached its’ peak. It won’t be much longer until all 32 teams are finally back on the field and each of the starting QB competitions will be settled. No QB competition this season looks to be more intriguing than that of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Unlike the QB battles in Las Vegas, New England, and Minnesota, Pittsburgh’s is the only one between two starting-caliber guys who both have more than a handful of starts under their belt.
Both QBs bring something to the table, and both are widely viewed as good enough to be a starter somewhere, as of right now. Because of this, the loser of the battle will likely become the best backup QB in the league, or perhaps be traded to another quarterback-needy team.
Ever since both men joined the team back in March, Russell Wilson has been the heavy favorite to win the starting job, and rightfully so. The former Seahawk and Bronco is a Super Bowl champion and possesses the fourth highest career passer rating in NFL history at an even 100.0. Wilson is a 9-time Pro Bowler with 334 career passing touchdowns to just 106 interceptions. He also holds an impressive win-loss record of 115-72-1. If we’re comparing Wilson to Fields just based on their career résumé, it’s no competition.
However, Wilson’s abilities have come under major scrutiny over the past two seasons. Wilson’s two-year tenure in Denver was a catastrophic failure on almost all levels. In 30 starts with the Broncos, Wilson went 11-19 and saw a steep decline in his numbers from his Seattle days. Many in the NFL community believe that Wilson is washed, or at least incapable of replicating what he was able to do with the Seahawks.
Behind door number two is former Bears and Ohio State QB Justin Fields. Fields was the 11th overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft and has since had an up-and-down start to his career. In 40 career starts with Chicago, Fields accumulated a record of 11-29, alongside a TD-INT ratio of 40-30 with 6,674 career passing yards and a passer rating of 82.3.
Despite his abysmal win-loss record and average statistical output as a passer, Fields has proven himself to be a dynamic playmaker as a runner. In his NFL career, Fields has 2,220 rushing yards and 14 rushing touchdowns.
He also holds the distinction as one of the fastest quarterback in NFL history. Fields has game-breaking ability on the ground, but it remains to be seen whether or not Fields can elevate his passing skills and winning percentage now that he is on a different team. To be fair, Fields now has the best supporting cast of his career, as well as a superior level of organizational stability than he had with the Bears.
So Who Wins The Job?
Pittsburgh will likely wait to officially name their QB1 until after the start of the preseason. That way they’ll have the opportunity to see both QBs take in some game time before making a final decision. Wilson remains the current front runner and has a pretty good overall chance to win the job. Unlike Fields, Wilson has proven himself as a quarterback capable of winning big games and leading a team into the postseason, albeit it’s been four years since Wilson played in a playoff game.
The argument for Fields is centered around his elite rushing ability and his somewhat steady improvement as a passer over the past several years. Keep in mind that Fields is only 25 years old, meanwhile, Wilson will turn 36 during the upcoming season. The sizable age gap between the two means that Fields is far more likely to be the Steelers’ long-term solution at QB should he play well. Maybe that aspect will play a role in their decision making.
How Will The QB Competition Impact the Steelers?
The Steelers are currently in a very unique predicament in regard to their quarterback situation. Ideally, Pittsburgh would want either Wilson or Fields to cement themselves as their QB for the foreseeable future and help end their current 7-year drought without a playoff victory. But what happens if neither QB works out and things really go south? Interestingly enough, the Steelers would not be in a terrible place even if the 2024 season turns out to be a total disaster.
The team is paying Wilson next to nothing to play for them in 2024 (the Broncos are still paying the majority of his salary). Pittsburgh has nothing invested in him and can simply release him or choose not to resign him next spring if things don’t work out. The same principle applies in regard to Fields, whom the Steelers only had to surrender a conditional sixth-round pick for them to acquire him from Chicago. Fields, like Wilson, will be a free agent after the 2024 season, meaning that the futures of both men in the Steel City will be determined entirely by their play on the field.
If both of them fail to pan out, the Steelers are free to draft a new quarterback in 2025, or perhaps even sign somebody like Dak Prescott who is on track to be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season.
