Steelers Receive a Former First-Round QB in Trade Proposal in Return for Picks
The Pittsburgh Steelers have a great opportunity in the 2024 NFL offseason. You need a quarterback to take your team to the next level, and they have good quarterbacks in Russell Wilson, Kirk Cousins, and Justin Fields.
Fields is likely the only QB the team would have to trade to acquire, but he could be a good fit for the team. PFF’s Brad Spielberger believes trading Fields is the move the Steelers need to make this offseason. In an article highlighting trades that could shake up the 2024 offseason, Spielberger proposed a deal in which the Steelers would send the Steelers’ 2024 second-round pick (Pick 52) and a 2025 fifth-round pick to the Chicago Bears in exchange for Fields.
This trade could be interesting because the Steelers have important players who could support a move for Fields. Fields is a Steelers fan. One thing that could help Fields make the Steelers is whether he has a following within the organization. During a Feb. 12 appearance on The Pat McAfee Show, NFL insider Adam Schefter revealed that Steelers coach Mike Tomlin is a huge fan of Fields. “We know Pittsburgh is going to bring in a defenseman.
It doesn’t matter if it’s Ryan Tannehill, Russell Wilson or Justin Fields,” Schefter said. “Justin Fields, I know Mike Tomlin is a huge fan of Justin Fields. “We will keep this in mind throughout the offseason and in the coming weeks.” Tomlin probably wouldn’t mind if his team promoted him to QB. The Steelers’ urgent need to end their playoff run dating back to 2016 has been a major talking point this offseason. Unfortunately, this streak is unlikely to end unless the Steelers see improvement at quarterback.
Fields won’t be at the same level as some of the star QBs the Steelers regularly face in the AFC North, but he will be an improvement over Pickett. He would also provide the Steelers with value in Tomlin that they didn’t get from Pickett. Tomlin wanted a mobile QB. The 2022 NFL offseason has the Steelers looking for their franchise QB after 18 seasons with Ben Roethlisberger under center.
Tomlin has said that when he has publicly discussed the team’s quarterback situation, he has repeatedly stated one thing as something he would like to see: He wanted a mobile QB.
Unfortunately, his timing wasn’t right as there were no viable mobile QBs in the draft that year. This makes Kenny Pickett the team’s first QB off the board in the 2022 draft. In his first year in the league, Pickett was able to use his legs quite successfully.
As a rookie, he rushed for 237 yards and three touchdowns in 12 games. In his second year, those numbers dropped to 54 yards and one touchdown. Fields averaged 55.5 yards per game during his NFL career and has 1,143 yards and eight touchdowns in 2022.
He is one of the most mobile defenders in the league and can cause problems for opposing defenses that Pickett doesn’t have. Moving Fields would give Tomlin the mobile QB he wants at a very reasonable price.
