Justin Fields is the newest Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback, joining a revamped quarterback room alongside Russell Wilson, which suddenly creates significant optionality for the organization at the position.
After acquiring Fields in a trade on March 16, the Steelers almost unquestionably upgraded the backup quarterback position and possibly created very real competition for Wilson as the starting quarterback in 2024 and beyond.
Justin Fields Trade Details
Following a trade that sent former first-round quarterback Kenny Pickett to the Philadelphia Eagles Friday, the Pittsburgh Steelers trading for Fields became predictable.
What wasn’t so easy to anticipate was the price to acquire Fields, in what was a far more depressed market than many believed at the onset of the NFL offseason.
General manager Omar Kahn and the Steelers acquired Justin Fields in exchange for a sixth-round draft choice that can escalate to a fourth-round pick if Fields hits playing time benchmarks this upcoming season.
That’s quite a bargain for a quarterback who had been chosen No. 11 overall, and who has passed for 6,674 yards with 40 touchdowns to 30 interceptions through his first three seasons, while adding 2,220 rushing yards and 14 more scores.
Pittsburgh Steelers Grade for Justin Fields Trade
This is the definition of a buy extremely low with sky-high upside proposition for the Steelers.
In an absolute worst case scenario, Fields arrives in Pittsburgh, whether the Steelers pick up his fifth-year option or not, with one season to learn behind Wilson and as an insurance policy on a veteran quarterback who hasn’t played a full season since 2020.
Not to mention, the value in swapping what will, at most, be a fourth-round draft choice but on its face is a meager sixth-round selection for a former No. 11 overall pick in the draft with 40 career games and 40 passing touchdowns on his NFL resumé.
However, the real moonshot for Khan and Pittsburgh is that Fields still has significant upside from what’s shown thus far in his career. With a change of scenery from beginning his career in Chicago where they struggled mightily to build around him lands with a heritage franchise with a track record of postseason success, and removed from the pressure of having to carry the weight of the organization as a top-15 pick, may finally blossom.
What Justin Fields hasn’t shown, is a consistent ability to elevate his teammates, or to win big in the biggest moments — which rarely presented themselves in Chicago. That might not particularly matter in Pittsburgh, especially this upcoming season.
Whether Fields spends one year as Wilson’s understudy, replaces him at some point because the former Super Bowl champion shows that his best football is behind him, or ultimately emerges as the Steelers’ franchise quarterback of the future, this deal will look like brilliance from Kahn and the Steelers.
Heck, even if Fields flounders, and hops on the veteran backup quarterback carousel in March, 2025, it’s impossible to argue with the value of acquiring a former first-round pick at quarterback for a sixth-round selection.
Justin Fields Trade Grade: A-
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