Justin Fields began the 2024 season 4-2 as Pittsburgh’s starter with Russell Wilson injured.
Steelers coach Mike Tomlin never seemed to consider keeping Fields in the QB1 role. When Wilson was ready, he was back in there.
Both quarterbacks are gone now, probably in part because of their confusing role overlap last fall.
And in new reporting by Sports Illustrated’s national NFL writer Albert Breer, it sounds like it’s mostly head coach Mike Tomlin’s fault.
“I think people (in Pittsburgh’s organization) would tell you that the Russell Wilson thing undermined so many things in the last month of the season, and that a lot of that building really wanted them to go back to Justin Fields,” Breer told Bill Simmons. “Tomlin was kind of all on his own on that one.”
That’s really painful for Pittsburgh. The Steelers went from two starting-caliber QBs to, at the moment, a depth chart consisting of Mason Rudolph, Will Howard and Skylar Thompson.
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The hope is still that Aaron Rodgers signs and takes over the job. But at this stage, is that even any better than Wilson or Fields?
The only guy who still potentially had more upside of that group is the younger Fields. Wilson and Rodgers are both well on the decline.
Pittsburgh will have to find its QB of the future whether Rodgers starts this season or not.
Fields might have been that guy, but according to Breer, Tomlin just didn’t see it that way.
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