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The Pittsburgh Steelers have not yet officially named their starting quarterback for the 2024 season, but it sounds like Russell Wilson is in the driver’s seat for the job.
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin told reporters on Tuesday that Wilson is “in the pole position” ahead of Justin Fields.
Tomlin added, “It’s a competition. … I mean certainly I’m sure things will heat up, but both those guys knew that however they were acquired and they got here and I think it’s been pretty transparent.”
The Steelers signed Wilson to a one-year deal following his release from the Denver Broncos and later acquired Fields in a trade with the Chicago Bears. Both players arrived in Pittsburgh with something to prove, but only one of them will earn the starting role.
Wilson has a leg up in the competition thanks to his experience. The nine-time Pro Bowler is hoping to chase a second Super Bowl ring before his career comes to an end, and joining a Steelers team that made a playoff run last season despite having three different starting quarterbacks during the year gives him a solid chance to achieve his goal.
Fields dealt with inconsistent coaching during his three-year tenure in Chicago, so learning under Tomlin will certainly benefit him even if he spends the year on the bench behind Wilson. Pittsburgh declined his fifth-year option, making him a free agent next offseason.
Still, the 25-year-old said previously that he doesn’t intend to just hand Wilson the starting position and he plans to give it his all in the quarterback competition.
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“I’m taking it day by day,” Fields told ESPN’s Brooke Pryor last month. “I’m definitely competing. I think [Wilson] knows that we’re competing against each other every day. Him being out there for me, that helps me getting better, especially each other. I definitely don’t have the mindset of me just sitting all year. I’m coming in every day giving it all I got and pushing him to be his best, and he’s pushing me to be my best each and every day.”
The quarterback competition in Pittsburgh is sure to be one of the most intriguing storylines of the offseason, as Wilson will have to stave off a motivated Fields if he wants to win the job.
