Former GM has wild suggestion for Steelers', Vikings' QB situations

As of early Wednesday afternoon, the Pittsburgh Steelers hadn't yet named either veteran Russell Wilson or Justin Fields their Week 1 starting quarterback.

Meanwhile, the Minnesota Vikings remained on track to start Sam Darnold after rookie J.J. McCarthy needed a full meniscus repair.

During Wednesday's edition of the ESPN "Get Up" program, former NFL general manager and current analyst Mike Tannenbaum suggested the Steelers and Vikings could help each other out ahead of Labor Day.

"I think a win-win here is to trade Russell Wilson to Minnesota," Tannenbaum explained, as shared by Mike Moraitis of Sporting News. "I think he's a better quarterback than Sam Darnold. They certainly could battle it out."

Tannenbaum wasn't finished , as he added that Pittsburgh could then sign veteran free agent Ryan Tannehill to serve as Fields' primary backup. Tannehill previously thrived playing under current Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith when both were with the Tennessee Titans.

There's plenty to unpack here. For starters, there's no sign the Steelers either want to move on from Wilson or are close to naming Fields as their QB1. NFL insider Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated noted on Wednesday morning that Wilson is just now practicing "without restriction for the first time since injuring his calf at the start of the summer."

Around that same time, DraftKings Sportsbook continued to list Wilson as the betting favorite at -425 odds to get the nod over Fields (+300) for Pittsburgh's Week 1 game at the Atlanta Falcons on Sept. 8.

As for the Vikings, they're clearly comfortable with having Darnold atop their depth chart until further notice. He began the preseason as the favorite to win the Minnesota starting job, and there was no indication when McCarthy went down with his injury that head coach Kevin O’Connell was having any second thoughts regarding that plan.

Neither Wilson nor Fields is signed beyond the upcoming season, so Pittsburgh attempting to get something in return for one of them makes sense. As Jacob Robinson and Dianna Russini of The Athletic pointed out on Monday, however, both signal-callers "were essentially free this offseason" and thus have no real value on the trade market this close to Week 1.

Pittsburgh may give Tannehill a call if either Wilson or Fields goes down with a concerning injury issue. For now, the Steelers' starting job still seems to be Wilson's to lose head ing into Pittsburgh's preseason finale at the Detroit Lions this Saturday.