Steelers starting quarterback could have been perfect Lamar Jackson backup

The Baltimore Ravens’ brush with quarterback Justin Fields has left fans dreaming of a dazzling “what-if” scenario. Before he snagged a spot with the Pittsburgh Steelers, our Ravens, along with the Las Vegas Raiders and Los Angeles Chargers, peeked into possibly grabbing him.

Fields spilled the beans on Steeler defensive lineman Cam Heyward’s Not Just Football podcast, mentioning the Ravens as one of the squads that showed interest.

"I'm not sure of all the teams, but there were a lot of teams that already had solidified quarterbacks and I didn't want to do that. Chargers were one, Ravens were another. Raiders, they talked a little bit. I don't know too much. Who else was in there I don't know, but a lot of teams had solidified quarterbacks who just got new contracts so I didn't want to be there."

Ravens wanted to add Justin Fields this past offseason

Justin Fields has announced to the world that the Ravens were one of the teams that were interested in signing him this past offseason. It's not all that surprising when you think about how the Ravens are constructed and built to win games both through the air and on the ground.

While Fields isn't the same caliber quarterback as Lamar Jackson, the two are fairly comparable. Fields, like Jackson, utilizes his athleticism and speed to torch opposing defenses with his legs. His dual-threat abilities are tailor-made for an offense that already rosters the game's best. Lamar is the dual-threat QB to emulate.

It's an interesting story, for sure. It's no secret the Ravens need a better backup quarterback behind Lamar. As of the writing of this article, 38-year-old Josh Johnson is the backup. While he's been around the game a long time, he hasn't necessarily been all that good. Heck, several free-agent quarterbacks are better than him available now. Fields would have been a dream backup.

It turns out the Ravens never had a chance to sign the athletic signal-caller. He expressed he had zero interest in entertaining offers from teams where he didn't have a chance to start. While it may not have been his intention, Justin Fields essentially told the world that Lamar Jackson is a better quarterback than him, and even he knows it.

Unfortunately for the Ravens, Fields signed with the Steelers in the offseason, and he's had a bit of a career resurgence in the Black and Yellow. Pittsburgh is 3-0 and looks like a well-oiled machine, while Baltimore has sputtered to a 1-2 start to the season.

Regardless, there's no denying Fields would have been an excellent backup to Jackson.

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