If the Pittsburgh Steelers ultimately turn to Justin Fields, over Russell Wilson, as the starting quarterback this season, one former NFL general manager has a bold suggestion.
General manager Omar Khan and the Steelers should trade Wilson, Mike Tannenbaum suggests.
“Unfortunately for Minnesota,” Tannenbaum said on ESPN’s Get Up morning show. “History is repeating itself. If you go back to 2016, a very unfortunate injury, Teddy Bridgewater gets hurt in practice, and Sam Bradford gets traded from the Eagles to the Vikings.
“To me, I think a win-win here is to trade Russell Wilson to Minnesota. I think he’s a better quarterback than Sam Darnold. They certainly can battle it out.”
Why Trading Russell Wilson Makes Sense for Pittsburgh Steelers
Wilson’s contract, and the fact that he is only slated to count $1.2 million against the cap this season, would make him not only an affordable option with some upside for the Vikings but easily tradeable against the cap for the Steelers.
Meanwhile, there is also a benefit to Pittsburgh moving on from Wilson and to Fields; getting the opportunity to build around a younger quarterback with the potential to be the long-term solution at the position for years to come.
If head coach Mike Tomlin and offensive coordinator Arthur Smith believe the 25-year-old Fields is the better option this season, giving him the opportunity to not only start the opener but perhaps play his way into the role of the Steelers’ quarterback of the future, is a much easier task with Wilson out of that quarterback room.
“Justin Fields is 10 years younger [than Wilson],” Tannenbaum points out. “Both guys don’t have a contract for next year. So, if the four of us were running the Pittsburgh Steelers, unless it was discernable that Russell Wilson was that much better, we want Justin Fields to win the job.
“And we want to extend him, so we’re not in the same situation next year. He’s younger, he’s more athletic, and he has more upside.”
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