If this year’s Super Bowl taught teams anything, it’s that Jalen Hurts is the QB prototype of today’s NFL, and if teams want to win, they need to have a quarterback with his talents.
That’s why the Steelers must re-sign Justin Fields.
The emergence of quarterbacks like Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen and Hurts ushered in the era of mobility and redefined the QB position.
The Steelers had that special quarterback this past season in Fields before switching to Russell Wilson. While the decision initially proved fruitful, it spiraled downward and the season went with it.
Fields, 25, was 4-2 to start the season and having the best year of his still young career.
He threw for 1,106 yards with 5 TDs and 1 INT while completing a career-best 65.8% of his passes. He also added 289 yards rushing and 5 TDs and gave the Steelers a true red zone threat.
Most importantly, Pittsburgh, despite ugly losses to the Colts and Cowboys, was winning and looked to be transforming the offense under a modern-day NFL QB.
But then Tomlin made the switch, which riled many including me. Fields was looking comfortable and defenses were having to account for his arm and legs.
But after Wilson went 6-1, it was hard to second-guess Mike Tomlin…until it wasn’t.
The Steelers then fell flat and ended the 2024 season with 5 straight losses, including a first-round playoff loss to the Ravens.
What made it even worse was the fact that Arthur Smith and Tomlin left Fields on the bench the entire time with only an occasional sporadic play.
To watch the Steelers lose, and lose when they had a change-maker on the bench was as frustrating as it was infuriating.
Fields flashed his talents in Chicago despite having to run for his life in the Windy City. And once DJ Moore arrived, the ball was moving nicely down the field before Fields got hurt.
In two seasons at Ohio State, Fields went 20-2, throwing for 5,373 yards, 63 TDs and 9 INTs. He also added another 867 yards and 15 TDs on the ground. In the National Championship Game, he outdueled and outshined “generational talent” Trevor Lawrence, and the entire Clemson team by himself, throwing for 385 yards, 6 TDs and 1 INT.
Despite his tenure with the Buckeyes, Fields was the 11th overall pick and fourth quarterback selected in the 2021 NFL Draft behind Lawrence (1st overall), Zach Wilson (Jets, 2nd) and Trey Lance (49ers, 3rd).
While Lawrence hasn’t done much, Wilson and Lance are backups who have done nothing.
But Fields showed his running ability, and when he was finally given a true number 1 receiver in Moore, he showed what his arm could do.
Those are the reasons why Pittsburgh GM Omar Khan traded for him before the start of the 2024 season and are the reasons why he must re-sign him now.
The Steelers need to change and haven’t had a dynamic quarterback since Big Ben retired.
They blew it by not selecting Lamar Jackson in 2018 (they took Terrell Edmunds) and whiffed again by selecting Chase Claypool in 2020 instead of Hurts, so they can’t afford to make the same mistake again, especially not after Steelers fans are still mercilessly tearing into Tomlin over this season.
Pittsburgh has $53 million in cap space, so they can pursue an offensive change-maker like Deebo Samuel, who would provide the team with a proven weapon on a team with criminally underutilized weapons. They could draft a receiver like Ohio State’s Emeka Egbuka or Missouri’s Luther Burden III in the upcoming draft as well.
But quarterback is the most crucial piece, and that’s why they should re-sign Justin Fields and give him a full season with a playbook that utilizes all of his talents.
The Steelers can start a new “Steelers Way” by simply signing Fields and adapting to today’s NFL offense.
Let’s hope they don’t mess up for a third time.
