The Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback situation was sticky heading into training camp, and that sticky situation got amplified even more when Russell Wilson injured his calf during the team’s conditioning test last Wednesday. Why has it become more of a narrative? Because Justin Fields has been making plays during his time with the starters at Saint Vincent College.

Suddenly, fans are wondering if Wilson will even get his “pole position” back with Fields taking advantage of the opportunity he’s been given.

Just because some fans might want to believe that doesn’t make it true. In fact, after talking to our source inside the Steelers organization the Fields situation is still crystal clear for the team.

Despite Wilson being slowed down by the calf injury to start camp, he remains the starter for this team. The only reason Russell Wilson wouldn’t be the starter this season is for two reasons:

• Injury
• Poor play

Only in those situations would the Steelers turn their attention away from Wilson, and give Fields his shot at being the team’s starting quarterback. If that happens, Fields would have a legitimate shot of proving he is more than capable of being the team’s long-term solution at quarterback.

But what if he doesn’t even get the opportunity? What if Wilson stays healthy and is effective during his time playing?

In that instance the Steelers realize the likelihood of them being able to re-sign Fields would depend solely on his asking price being reasonable, and lower than the team is expecting. If Fields’ price tag is too high, the team would likely want to re-sign Wilson.

Don’t take the above report as the Steelers being unhappy with what they’ve seen from Fields. They couldn’t be more pleased with everything he has done since he was traded from the Chicago Bears this offseason. He’s been coachable, a good teammate, and willing to show improvement on aspects of his fundamentals the team has “tweaked” since he arrived. But if Wilson plays well, and stays healthy, the Steelers realize it will be extremely difficult to see his price tag being in their price range after the 2024 season. If Wilson is replaced for whatever reason and Fields shines, you can expect the team to try and retain Fields as their quarterback of the future.

This clearly doesn’t provide a clear-cut answer to the Steelers quarterback situation, but it does show where the Steelers organization’s head is about the situation as the 2024 season plays out. For the fans? Buckle up, grab your popcorn, and let’s see how this quarterback position shakes out in 2024.

May the best man win…

Hear more about this on the Wednesday “Let’s Ride” podcast in the player below, and be sure to stay tuned to SCN for the latest news and notes surrounding the Steelers as they prepare for the remainder of training camp.