Steelers' Mike Tomlin Earns High Praise As Best Option To Guide Justin Fields' NFL Future

The Pittsburgh Steelers ended the 2023 season with a loss to the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Wild Card game. It was an all-too-familiar ending for the Black and Gold as of late, and Omar Khan and Mike Tomlin are intent on rewriting it in 2024. Mason Rudolph's inspired play down the stretch to get Pittsburgh into the playoffs revealed an all-too-simple truth: The Steelers did not have a quarterback on the roster capable of taking them to the next level. 

The first step was to cut Mitch Trubisky. The second step was to get a commitment from Russell Wilson, which Tomlin helped secure by promising him the pole position in the starting quarterback race. Kenny Pickett demanded a trade and got one to be the Philadelphia Eagles' backup quarterback. Rudolph washed his hands of the Steelers and signed with the Tennessee Titans. Khan then performed his annual heist from the Chicago Bears and traded a conditional draft pick for Justin Fields. 

On Wednesday, the latest episode of Club Shay Shay, hosted by Shannon Sharpe, debuted on YouTube. It featured an appearance by Cam Newton, a former NFL MVP with the Carolina Panthers and Heisman Trophy winner. Newton has been perceived as overly critical of Brock Purdy and received substantial backlash for labeling him a game manager before Super Bowl LVIII. The former Panthers signal-caller offered up a new opinion on the Steelers' partnership with Fields and Wilson. 

"Mike Tomlin is doing what I just said. He's developing Justin Fields," Newton observed. "We are going to bring a veteran that you can see not only his preparation on the field, but how does he take care of his body. He's on a one-year contract. If he does not produce, then you will be inserted to take on that. You're still young enough, yes, to be labeled a franchise guy." 

Newton makes an excellent point about giving Fields time to absorb Arthur Smith's offense and watch Wilson prepare. The former Bears quarterback is a phenomenal physical specimen who has rushed for over 1,000 yards from the quarterback position and steadily improved as a passer over his first three seasons. His biggest issue has been turnovers during his NFL career.

The Steelers reportedly had Fields as the highest-graded quarterback prospect in the 2021 draft class. Chicago drafted him with the 11th pick, but it would have been interesting to see if he had fallen any further if Tomlin and Kevin Colbert had tried to move up to get him. Now that the coach and quarterback have been paired, Newton thinks he has the right person to help him reemerge as a franchise quarterback.

"If anybody can coach Justin Fields, it's Mike Tomlin," Newton said. "He knows the struggles, and he knows how to use the vernacular or choice of words to get through to his quarterback in that type of manner."

If Tomlin had a secret formula to get through to Ben Roethlisberger or Pickett, he probably would have used it. Newton's not-so-subtle point is that Fields may identify more with the Steelers' head coach and lend more weight to his advice. However, Tomlin is an excellent leader, and if it helps Fields cut down on his turnovers and get more out of his natural ability, then the move to trade for Fields might go down as one of the best trades in Steelers' history. 

Steelers' First Step In Justin Fields' Development Should Be Securing His Services Beyond 2024

The reality is that Fields and Wilson are on one-year contracts. Pittsburgh has the ability to pick up the former first-round pick's fifth-year option for over $25 million. Khan only has until May 2nd to decide, but it seems unlikely that he would commit to that kind of money for even one year without seeing if Wilson thrives in Smith's offense. 

The best-case scenario is that Khan and Tomlin can convince Fields to extend his contract for two to three seasons to give the process time to play out. The low level of interest in a Fields trade should not be mistaken for disinterest by the rest of the NFL. Fields will attract interest if he becomes a free agent after 2024, even if he sits on the bench all season. 

The key for the Steelers is to thread the needle and convince him that his best career prospects are to take over for Wilson in a season or two. Hopefully, it will happen after he watches a few playoff victories and maybe a Super Bowl from the sideline.