NFL Analyst Makes Bold Prediction That New Steelers QB Will Lead Them To Playoffs

The Pittsburgh Steelers have made the NFL playoffs three out of the last four seasons, but they haven't won a playoff game since 2016.

ESPN NFL analyst Ryan Clark believes that the Steelers will indeed make it back to the playoffs for a second consecutive season this year, albeit with maybe not the quarterback everyone was expecting.

During the offseason, the Steelers went out and grabbed not one starting quarterback but two. They signed Russell Wilson, who was released by the Denver Broncos, and then traded with the Chicago Bears for Justin Fields.

Wilson, a former Super Bowl champion with the Seattle Seahawks, has been the presumed starter since signing with Pittsburgh. However, initial reports from training camp suggest a different outcome.

Wilson was initially held out of the first few practices with a calf strain, which allowed Fields to be thrust into the first-team offense. ESPN Insider Adam Schefter later reported that the Steelers may now be more inclined to see what they have with the former Ohio State quarterback.

"I think Russell Wilson remains in the pole position, but I also think that Justin Fields has opened some eyes and they see the type of offense they could have," Schefter said.

Now Ryan Clark, who played with the Steelers from 2006-2013, on an episode of SportsCenter , has gone on record predicting that Fields will be the one to lead the Steelers back to the playoffs, not Wilson.

"...And Justin Fields is going to lead the Pittsburgh Steelers to the playoffs," Clark said. "That's right. That means first, he has to become the starter -- which he is. And then when he becomes the starter, he has to get into the playoffs -- which he will. Mike [Tomlin] always fields a competent team, a competitive team. Now he's going to have a dynamic playmaker at quarterback, and they will be in the playoffs."

Tomlin, who will be entering his 17th season as Steelers head coach, has tried about everything at quarterback since Ben Roethlisberger left after the 2021 season, from two former first-rounders in Kenny Pickett and Mitchell Trubisky to Mason Rudolph. None have panned out, nor are they even on the Steelers' 2024 roster after all three were there last season.

With as competitive as the AFC North has become, led by franchise quarterbacks like Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow, the Steelers didn't want to fall further behind in the division. Watching how the quarterback situation unfolds in Pittsburgh will certainly be intriguing this year.