Heading into the 2024 football season, few knew what to expect from the Pittsburgh Steelers.

They had revamped their offensive line, overhauled their secondary, re-made their linebacking corps and hired a new offensive coordinator. Perhaps most importantly, they had moved on from embattled quarterback Kenny Pickett and replaced him by signing both Russell Wilson and Justin Fields. It was a lot of change for an organization that cherishes stability.

For 13 weeks, the returns were encouraging. The Steelers were 10-3 and held a two-game lead over Baltimore atop the AFC North. The new pieces were fitting together, Arthur Smith had breathed life into the offense and head coach Mike Tomlin was being mentioned as a Coach of the Year candidate. At quarterback, Fields had played well in a six-week audition to start the season as Wilson recovered from a calf injury suffered in training camp. But Wilson, once he entered the lineup, had been a difference-maker. The unit went from averaging 20 points a game under Fields to 28 per game with Wilson. The passing game became more diverse and efficient. Wilson’s “moon balls” unlocked the potential of talented receiver George Pickens, and his energy and presence made him the unquestioned leader of the offense. The Steelers, it seemed, had found their quarterback of the foreseeable future.

Then came the last three games. When the schedules were released last spring, the stretch in December where the Steelers would play three contests in eleven days against Philadelphia, Baltimore and Kansas City seemed like a referendum on just how good this squad might be. If Pittsburgh could hold their own against that trio of championship contenders, they might actually be for real.

Spoiler alert: they didn’t. And they’re not. For real, that is, unless they can immediately fix the major flaws that were exposed in those eleven days. Yes, injuries played a part in the outcome, where Pittsburgh went 0-3 and was outscored 90-40. But they weren’t physical enough, or fast enough, and they couldn’t keep up with the schemes those teams were running. Perhaps most notably, they simply weren’t good enough at the quarterback position.

More than anything the last three weeks, Russell Wilson looked slow. Slow to process in the pocket, slow to get the football out of his hand and slow to escape once the rush closed in. He looked every bit the 36-year-old on whom Sean Payton had given up in Denver. The flaws in Wilson’s game that led to his Denver exit had largely been masked over his first seven starts by a slate of weak opponents and enough splash plays to Pickens to get everyone excited. But against elite competition, those flaws were glaring. Wilson’s numbers in that crucial eleven-day stretch weren’t atrocious — he went 59-92 (64%) for 550 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions — but the indictment of Wilson went beyond numbers.

He took 10 sacks in those games, many the result of him struggling to diagnose coverage and looking paralyzed in the pocket. He turned the ball over twice in the red zone, once on a fumble and once on an interception, squandering valuable scoring opportunities. He threw a crushing pick-six against the Ravens on a pass where he missed his target terribly as the Steelers were driving for a potential game-tying touchdown in the fourth quarter. Pittsburgh started each of those games with a three-and-out, and trailed after the first quarter by a collective score of 30-3. Slow starts, slow reads, slow feet.

Things looked worse juxtaposed against his counterparts. Jalen Hurts, Lamar Jackson and Patrick Mahomes were playing the game at a different speed. Hurts and Mahomes got the ball out of their hands with a suddenness that must have seemed foreign to Steelers’ fans. They operated their teams’ respective RPO games flawlessly, and read coverage as though it were a 7-on-7 drill. Jackson, meanwhile, moved about the field like a gazelle. In a quarterback-driven league, where contenders need an elite player at the game’s most important position, the separation between that trio of quarterbacks and Wilson was glaring.

All is not lost, of course. The Steelers have still qualified for the playoffs. If they started today, Pittsburgh would travel to Houston to play a reeling Texans team that was shellacked 31-2 by the Ravens on Wednesday. That would certainly be a winnable game. In Round 2, though, they’d head to Kansas City for a rematch with the Chiefs, which would almost certainly put an end to the season. Once that occurs, the question to which almost everyone will immediately turn is this: which quarterback should the Steelers re-sign? With both Wilson and Fields on expiring contracts, Pittsburgh has a huge decision to make. Would a playoff win justify bringing back Wilson? Or was the way in which he was exposed in that eleven-day stretch enough for the Steelers to cast their lot with his younger, more athletic counterpart?

For me, the answer is simple: pursue Fields. While he doesn’t yet understand the quarterback position as fully as Wilson — we saw that in the way the offense took off once Wilson entered the lineup — his six-week audition convinced me he can be a quality starter. His athleticism is off the charts, and the big-play capability he offers with both his arm and legs, as well as his ability to avoid sacks and escape the pocket, is superior to Wilson’s. The most important element is this: Fields is just 25 years old and has yet to reach his peak, while Wilson will turn 37 next season and is clearly in decline. For a Steelers team that is more than one piece away from contending for a Super Bowl title, the player with upside and with whom the team can grow should be more attractive than the one whose best days are behind him.

The details of what a contract for Fields might look like is a conversation for another time, but the Steelers can certainly make it happen. They would then need to get their line straight and upgrade the receiver room to lighten the load on Fields. Making sure he has enough talent around him, and the right coaching staff to aid in his development, is paramount. Even then, there’s no guarantee he will succeed. It’s a gamble either way. But at this point, a gamble on Fields is worth more than a gamble on Wilson.

If the eleven day gauntlet from Philly to KC taught us anything, it’s that the Steelers aren’t ready to compete with the big boys. I’m not sure if Justin Fields can put them into that conversation. But I’m certain Russell Wilson cannot. They should thank Russ for providing some nice memories this past year, and for restoring a sense of hope in the offense. But they can’t let nostalgia for what Russ once was, or how much Mike Tomlin likes him personally, to cloud their judgement. Re-signing Justin Fields should be Pittsburgh’s top off-season priority.