Many, many years ago I was down in Texas with my brother and dad and we were at a cattle auction. Back in those days you could pretty much auction off anything, not just cows. Knowing my brother and I were going to be there for the next three weeks my dad saw a deal he couldn’t pass on. Someone was offering 120 boxes of Quaker Granola bars and my old man figured that was the perfect snack for us while we were there. I think he paid all of $25. This type of deal was exactly what I thought of when I saw what the Pittsburgh Steelers got Justin Fields for today.
If you’ll recall, most people were suggesting that Chicago could probably get a second rounder for Fields after the season ended. As the days and weeks have passed, it became abundantly clear that the Bears were not going to get that and Omar Khan waited patiently. Today he struck. The Steelers get the former first rounder for a sixth round selection which could turn into a fourth based on how much playing time Fields gets in year one.
Mike Tomlin has already made it clear to Fields that the plan is for him to back up Russell Wilson in 2024. After that is where things get interesting. Remember that Wilson is just on a one-year deal while Fields will be due is fifth year option which the Steelers will most certainly give him in May. The price tag for that fifth year is $25.6 million and I admit, I wasn’t crazy about this a few months ago. Why? Because I wasn’t thrilled about giving up a second round pick for a QB that averages just under two turnovers per game. But when you consider the low price Khan and the Steelers have paid, $25 million doesn’t look too bad especially when you look at QB salaries around the league.
There’s no guarantee however the Steelers will exercise Fields’ fifth year option. They could offer an extension perhaps in the fashion of what Green Bay did with Jordan Love or they could just simply deny the fifth year, see how Wilson performs and then negotiate with the one they like best. My best guess is the Steelers will try to negotiate an extension that lowers his cap hit. Wilson is playing this season largely as an audition to a bigger deal next year. It very well could be with Pittsburgh but that’s still to be determined.
Ultimately, what the Steelers have done is just completely overhauled their quarterback room. Not only have they moved on from Kenny Pickett, Mitchell Trubisky and Mason Rudolph, but they’ve also gotten better.
To be very honest, I wasn’t crazy about this a month or so ago and my expectations for Fields in Pittsburgh still are very tempered. But there’s no way anyone can argue with getting a guy with his talent for a sixth round pick. With better talent and better coaching around him I’m optimistic at the very least. After all, I know a good deal when I see one even if it was just granola bars.
