Justin Fields has endured a tough offseason. He entered the offseason in no mans land, waiting for the Chicago Bears to make up their minds between himself and Caleb Williams. Chicago ended up waiting longer than most thought they would to trade Fields, sending him to the Pittsburgh Steelers for minimal draft capital. Fields spoke positively about the Bears and general manager Ryan Poles at Pittsburgh's organized team activities this week.
Fields took the high road when discussing Chicago during his first media session with Pittsburgh.
“There were a lot of ups and downs,” Fields said of his time with the Bears. “But all-in-all I appreciate every relationship that I built. All my teammates, they know that. Nothing but love for the city, the fans and my old teammates and coaches.”
Fields also went on to specifically shout out Bears general manager Ryan Poles for keeping him informed throughout the process and ultimately getting him to Pittsburgh.
“Shoutout to Poles, we communicated to him through my agent, and I told him where I wanted to be and this was a place I wanted to be, so he honored that and I appreciate him for that and glad he was able to put me in a spot where I wanted to be at,” Fields said.
Fields also shared some of this thoughts entering the offseason. He said it “wasn't really a shock” to learn the Bears were trading him. He got the sense they were planning on drafting a quarterback beforehand. The Bears selected Caleb Williams with the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, solidifying him as the team's starting quarterback. That eventuality left no place for Fields in Chicago.
Could Justin Fields win the Steelers starting QB job in 2024?
It is good to hear that the Bears did right by Justin Fields and send him off to a situation where there's mutual interest.
But can Justin Fields win the starting job in Pittsburgh right away?
He'll have Russell Wilson to deal with first. Wilson is an experienced veteran in the NFL who has done a lot of winning in the league. His career has certainly started to decline over the past two questions, but he is still steep competition for Fields.
Justin Fields is excited about competing with Russell Wilson. According to reported Mike DeFabo, Fields said he's “definitely competing… Russ knows that. We're competing against each other every day.”
Justin Fields said he’s “definitely competing.. Russ knows that. We’re competing against each other every day. “I definitely don’t have the mindset of me just sitting all year.”
Fields also spoke on his mindset heading into offseason programs. He does not have the mindset of riding the pine all season. It sounds like he will be making a strong push each and every week to win the starting job.
James Palmer noted on social media that Fields does have a realistic shot at winning the job. Palmer speculated that we could see both Fields and Wilson play QB for the Steelers at some point this season. If this were to happen, it would likely be because Wilson wins the camp battle with Fields and struggles during the regular season. Injury could also force Fields into action.
