The Pittsburgh Steelers currently have a quarterback under contract through the 2024 season with Mitch Trubisky released. Mason Rudolph is a free agent. That’s how Kenny Pickett’s first-round pick stays in 2022. Omar Khan, Mike Tomlin and Art Rooney II have big decisions to make on who will join or rejoin the roster in 2024 to compete with Pickett to lead Arthur Smith’s new offense. He should take this decision well. Chiefs: Mike Tomlin of the Steelers is clearly a big fan of Justin Fields.Word spreads fast.
Adam Schefter reports that the Steelers will be keeping an eye on Justin Fields, sparking a heated debate on social media about his ability to lead the black and gold. It’s a debate that divides Steeler Nation into several factions. While some favor bringing in a veteran quarterback in their mid-to-late 30s like Russell Wilson, Ryan Tannehill or Kirk Cousins, others strongly advocate for Rudolph’s return. The vocal contingent also wants Pickett to get another opportunity with a capable offensive coordinator. That force has found a powerful ally in CBS Sports’ Aditi Kinhabwala.
He joins the PM team with Pony and Muller for a weekly afternoon appearance on 93.7 The Fan. A CBS Sports sideline reporter had harsh words for the idea of importing Fields from the Chicago Bears. “Why would Chicago want to give up Justin Fields if he’s the answer to everything and is clearly a future Hall of Fame quarterback?”Anti-camp forces on social media have repeatedly bought into this claim. Notably, Fields is coming off a season that included a 1,000-yard season as a quarterback and is a year younger than Pickett. Both players have issues, but Kinhabwala didn’t mince words when asked by Andrew Filliponi who would best suit Smith’s attack.”Are you Justin Fields or Kenny Pickett?”
I think Arthur Smith is a lot more flexible than you think,” Kinhabwala replied. “I think he’s in that position because he can get the most out of a player. I think Kenny is a good fit. I think they are a very good couple. “I told you that from the beginning.”Pittsburgh is in an awkward situation when it comes to the quarterback position. Smith’s best offensive season came with Tannehill, a former college receiver. Pickett is mobile and can thrive in an easy-to-read system, but he’s also injury-prone. Pickett has missed 20 percent of his NFL snaps due to injury, and his continued availability is a real concern for the Steelers.
Fields is arguably the better and more durable runner, but given the opportunity to run more often. In fact, Fields went 10-28 as a starter in the NFL and had 30 interceptions in three seasons. He fumbled 38 times, but the Bears recovered 25 of them. In 38 career games, Fields has 54 touchdowns against 43 total turnovers. In his first three seasons in the NFL, Ben Roethlisberger recorded 58 receptions and 44 fumble recoveries.”The Player of the Year award last week was very important. With all due respect to Damar Hamlin, Baker Mayfield is my Player of the Year,” Kinhabwala continued.
“He was so passionate that he joined an organization that was working from the top down. That’s exactly what he wanted. He committed a very important foul. “Baker had a good year and that’s a guy who gave it all up.”Filliponi pointed out that comparing Baker Mayfield, who had some success with the Cleveland Browns before moving on to Deshaun Watson, is like comparing apples and oranges. Pickett won a lot of one-point games, but didn’t show much ball-playing ability in his first two seasons. Kinhabwala has asked for a new offensive coordinator, and the Steelers are selling Pickett as their top option for 2024.
“If he hadn’t felt that way, Arthur Smith wouldn’t have accepted the job,” Kinhabwala concluded. “I think there are more pieces to this puzzle. If they were willing to give up on Kenny Pickett and move on to someone else, I don’t know if they would hire the same person. Arthur Smith fits the philosophy of how the Steelers play offense and also fits the quarterback that the Steelers feel like a real fit for. “The organization is not ready to wash its hands and give up.”In fact, if there is an obvious upgrade, the Steelers might consider it. Additionally, as Kinhabwala said, Tomlin and Smith could commit to running Pickett’s offense in 2024.
The Steelers moved very quickly to sign Smith. He was the first candidate interviewed who met Tomlin’s criteria. Fields is a $25 million+ gamble over two seasons. It’s a steal for a 2024 player, but it’s still dangerous. If the Steelers aren’t convinced Fields is a significant upgrade, it makes financial sense to gamble on Pickett for another season with a much smaller cap. For a third-year quarterback running an NFL-caliber offense, there’s a good chance the lights will come on.
