The Chicago Bears officially closed the book on the Justin Fields era when they traded him to the Pittsburgh Steelers earlier this month.
Now, Fields gets a fresh start in his fourth NFL season with Pittsburgh, who also signed Russell Wilson this offseason.
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin revealed that, while Wilson is currently in the pole position, Fields will have an opportunity to compete for the starting quarterback job. Which should make for one heck of a competition this summer between two talented QBs.
Former NFL quarterback and current NFL Network analyst David Carr believes Fields will ultimately come out on top of this Steelers QB battle.
“Justin Fields is going to be the starter Week 1,” Carr said on NFL Total Access Tuesday. “I personally believe that. This offense is not something that takes a ton of experience for the quarterback position to run. It’s a nuanced offense, but it’s more RPO-based. It’s more quarterback is going to run the ball. He’s gonna be a threat. Arthur Smith’s a smart guy. He understands 11 on 11. Around the league, when the quarterback runs the ball, there’s an advantage there for the offense. Just look at Lamar Jackson.”
It’s definitely a storyline we’ll be following this offseason as it involves the compensation Chicago acquired in exchange for Fields. The Bears received a 2025 conditional sixth-round pick that becomes a fourth rounder if Fields plays 51% of snaps in 2024.
So Bears fans everywhere should be rooting for Fields to beat out Wilson — whether it’s simply to wish him luck or for Chicago’s draft compensation.
