One of the main storylines of this NFL offseason is going to center around the Chicago Bears. The Bears own the first pick in the 2024 NFL Draft and the right to select generational quarterback prospect Caleb Williams. However, they also have a young quarterback with upside in Justin Fields, who they drafted 11th overall in 2021.
The Pittsburgh Steelers are one of the landing spots that makes sense for Fields if the Bears elect to trade their quarterback. Kenny Pickett hasn’t panned out in the NFL and the Steelers loved Fields coming out of college.
Andrew Fillipponi of Audacy’s “1st & Pod” explained why the Steelers are so high on Fields and if Pittsburgh would move their first-round pick for him.
“I’ve told you how much Tomlin loved Justin Fields and that the Steelers would have picked him first in that draft if they had the number one pick,” Fillipponi said (5:00 in player above). “They had him ranked as the best quarterback in that draft, ahead of Trevor Lawrence, Trey Lance, Zach Wilson, etc.”
The Steelers had franchise quarterback Ben Roethlisberger toward the end of his career in 2021. He took a $5 million pay cut in March of 2021, which may have been the Steelers trying to push him to retire – which he did after the 2021 season.
“I honestly believe if Roethlisberger had not called their bluff when they said ‘We’re going to make you take a pay cut.’ I think there was a big part of the Steelers’ brass that thought he would say ‘I’m not playing for less. I’ll retire,’” Fillipponi continued. “I think Mike Tomlin had his fingers crossed that Ben was going to walk away and they were going to use that draft pick – they were going to have to trade up to get Fields but I think they would have done it. That’s how much they loved him coming out of college.”
Fillipponi noted how much stock the Steelers put into those pre-draft scouting reports that they have on certain players, even later in their careers.
“They rely on their pre-draft scouting reports so much when it comes to moves they make in free agency and trades. They said that about Minkah Fitzpatrick,” he said. “They say that about just about every crop of free agents, they sign what they thought of the player when they met with him at pro days and in Indianapolis and things like that.”
The potential issue with trading for Fields is that the Steelers have a quarterback who has shown some flashes in Pickett. However, if Tomlin wants Fields he may ultimately get his way.
“I think the Steelers are comfortable with Kenny Pickett but there’s somebody available who the coach loves and the coach tends to get his way,” Fillipponi said. “Tomlin really runs the organization. If he wants something badly he usually gets it, like when he wanted Brian Flores on the staff even though Flores was suing the NFL.”
The Steelers are currently slotted to draft 20th overall. That’s a draft pick that Pittsburgh probably won’t move.
“No. Absolutely not,” Fillipponi said of the Steelers trading the 20th pick for Fields. “That won’t happen… They’ve only traded their first-round pick one time in the last 50 years since the ‘60s, and that was for Minkah. This is a quarterback that only has one year guaranteed on his contract, and if you do that you immediately have to give him the fifth-year option. You have to.”
Fillipponi thinks it’s so unlikely that he could see Fields staying in Chicago more than Pittsburgh sending a first-round pick for the quarterback.
“There is a better chance that the Bears keep Fields and trade the number one pick than there is the Steelers will give up the 20th pick for Fields even with some kind of Day 2 pick attached to it this year, next year. You can take that to the bank. That is a guarantee,” he said. “The owner will not let them do that.
“The only way the owner, I think, gets convinced to demote Kenny Pickett to backup and not even having a competition is if he feels like the coach is so convinced of the player that he’s willing to vouch for him and the acquisition cost is not exorbitant. They feel like they build Super Bowl champions through the draft. That has always been their M.O.”
The talks around Fields and the Steelers should only heat up as the offseason continues. There are still over two months until the 2024 NFL Draft on Thursday, April 25th.
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