For the first time since the Steelers acquired the former Bears QB, Justin Fields has opened up about how he feels about the trade, and where he goes from here.
“We were in the same situation last year with having the No. 1 pick, and it was just a little bit different this year,” Fields said Tuesday, speaking for the first time since the trade. “I’m not naive to the fact that — I can read body language and stuff like that. It wasn’t really just a shock to where it’s like, ‘Oh, I got traded.’ I knew what was going to happen beforehand. So I’m just glad I got traded to the spot that I wanted to be at.”
“Shoutout to Poles, we communicated to him through my agent, and I told him where I wanted to be and this was a place I wanted to be,” Fields said. “He honored that, and I appreciate him for that and glad he was able to put me in a spot where I wanted to be at.”
Steelers have been very active in the QB market
“With Kenny still here and then Russell here, I definitely thought the door was shut, so I didn’t know where I was going to end up at that point,” Fields said. “But my agent kind gave me a heads up a couple of days before that Kenny even might be getting traded. So when I heard that, and then I actually saw it happen in real time, then I kind of knew kind where I was going at that point.”
“I’m definitely competing,” Fields said of his role with the Steelers. “I think Russ knows that we’re competing against each other every day. Him being out there for me, that helps me getting better, especially each other.
“I definitely don’t have the mindset of me just sitting all year. I’m coming in every day giving it all I got and pushing him to be his best, and he’s pushing me to be my best each and every day.”
“I wouldn’t say I’m scalded,” Wilson said. “I would say that if anything, I’ve just learned a lot and I think that internally you get better, you get tougher. You use your experiences, use the challenges that you’ve gone through to be the best version of you. And so I don’t blink, and I’m looking forward to the challenge and the opportunity.”
“They’re professionals, and so I’m excited about that but I’m not surprised by it,” Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said. “There’s an expectation there. Both guys have been franchise-like guys if you will. They’ve gotten out of their cars in the morning and worn the responsibility of being that guy for a franchise, and so there’s residual benefit from that and so I’m excited about us receiving it.”
The Steelers have completed transformed their QB room from a bunch of not very good QB’s to a Super Bowl winner, and a QB with something to prove. But remember, the Steelers still made the playoffs last seasons. So an upgrade like they have made should, in theory, make them more competitive.
For more like this, you can visit our NFL section here. Also, follow us on Facebook for coverage of the NFL and much more.