The Pittsburgh Steelers have kicked off the season 3-0 and currently have a stronghold on the AFC North. It's an impressive feat for a Steelers team that has hitched its wagon to former Chicago Bear quarterback failure Justin Fields.
Earlier today, Fields appeared on fellow teammate Cam Heyward's Not Just Football podcast. He hopped on a mic and discussed his life, his football journey, and how he eventually made his way to Pittsburgh. There were some interesting sound bites, but none juicier than his explanation of his prospective offseason suitors.
Fields discusses he had conversations with the Ravens, Las Vegas Raiders, and Los Angeles Chargers, but ultimately wanted to find a new home where he didn't necessarily have to compete for the starting job. He wasn’t interested in joining a team with an established quarterback.
What got lost in a sauce a bit is the accidental and quite shocking public revelation Fields had, which is that he is not as good as Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson. While he didn't outwardly state he isn't as good, his actions speak louder than his words.
Justin Fields says quiet part out loud for why he didn't sign with Baltimore
Much to the chagrin of Steelers fans, Fields says the quiet part out loud - he did not want to join the Baltimore Ravens in the offseason because he knew he wouldn't start over Lamar Jackson.
🚨NEWS: Justin Fields revealed that the #Raiders, #Chargers, and #Ravens had expressed interest in trading for him.
— MLFootball (@_MLFootball) September 26, 2024
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Fields said he wanted to join a team where he could compete for a starting job, which led to Pittsburgh trading for him.
(via @CamHeyward) pic.twitter.com/CCSLZZIwnf
On the surface, it's not overly outrageous that Fields inadvertently acknowledged that he didn't stand a chance to start over Lamar Jackson. If you were to poll every general manager or head coach in the NFL, we're sure they'd say the same thing.
However, publicly stating he avoided the Ravens and Chargers because of their quarterback situations is a tough look. It shows a sincere lack of confidence and a sense of entitlement. His comment says all you need to know about his mindset and how he views himself. He was in no position to tell Chicago where to move him, and it's outrageous to suggest he had any leverage.
No offense to Justin Fields, his play in Chicago didn't warrant an immediate starting role on another team. He was 10-28 as a starter for the Bears and failed to move the ball downfield. His lack of success directly led to Chicago taking quarterback Caleb Williams with the first pick in last year's draft to replace him.
Funny enough, the Steelers made a trade with the Chicago Bears to acquire Fields the day after they signed veteran quarterback Russell Wilson to the veteran minimum. By avoiding one quarterback controversy, he accidentally dove head-first into another. He won the starting job over Wilson, but he'll always have the veteran looming closely over his shoulder.
Fortunately for Fields and the Steelers, things could not have worked out better. They look like a legitimate playoff contender with him at the helm. Fields is finally starting to put his potential into production which could very well be to the detriment of the Baltimore Ravens.
Still, he openly admitted that he avoided Baltimore because he knew he couldn’t beat out Lamar Jackson for the starting job - and that is absolute gold. We don't necessarily blame him for feeling inferior, but maybe next time, for Steelers fans' sake, don't broadcast that out to the masses.