Justin Fields has a leg up as Steelers doomsday QB scenario remains on the table

What's that old saying? If you have two starting quarterbacks, you really have none? Ideally for the Steelers, that old addage doesn't prove true in Pittsburgh during the 2024 season.

Mike Tomlin has declared Russell Wilson the Steelers starter as of training camp. It's the right choice, given Wilson's experience and limited improvement last year with the Denver Broncos. His opposition on the roster, former Chicago Bears first-round pick Justin Fields, is talented but raw. The Steelers view Fields as a developmental project.

The main issue with Fields (and Wilson, for that matter) is that their former teams were willing to let them leave in the first place. Heck, the Broncos are still on the hook for most of Wilson's salary this season.

Steelers won't commit to Russell Wilson or Justin Fields

Per Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Steelers have no plans to extend Wilson or Fields this preseason, thus letting them fight it out during camp and in the regular season on one-year deals. The Steelers rarely negotiate extensions during the season, so this is a notable update from Dulac. If either quarterback performs well, then perhaps Omar Khan could change the standard just this once.

While this sounds bad for everyone -- and it certainly has fans in their feelings -- it actually provides an advantage to Fields, who has more lasting potential than Wilson. Let me explain. As a former first-round pick who showed some promise in Chicago prior to the Bears selecting Caleb Williams, Fields has control of his narrative.

Fields is on an upward trajectory, assuming he performs well in Latrobe. Wilson is the opposite, as the 35-year-old Super Bowl winner forced his way out of Seattle only to flame out in Denver. His 2023 season was respectable, but only enough to earn him one last starting opportunity in Pittsburgh with Mike Tomlin.

It doesn't help that Wilson was injured early in training camp, thus giving Fields a chance to play with the starters on offense.

And just like that, a quarterback controversy was born.

Russell Wilson will start Week 1, but Steelers lack of commitment should concern him

Wilson is the obvious Week 1 starter, while Fields will get plenty of run in preseason. Assuming both players perform to their best, Wilson deserves the first chance to start the regular season, as his resume speaks for itself. However, Wilson is also in his mid-30's. Not every quarterback can survive father time's cruel grip on reality, and athletes especially tend to deterioriate physically at an early age.

Fields is a full decade younger than Wilson, and even if he doesn't offer the same downfield vision and locker room leadership, his potential alone (and as a plausible bargain buy) give him the long-term advantage over Wilson, for better or worse.