Kenny Pickett is the only reason Justin Fields is a Steeler in the first place

The Pittsburgh Steelers completely revamped their QB room this offseason, signing Russell Wilson to a $1.2 million contract and trading a sixth-round pick to the Chicago Bears for Justin Fields. In the process, Kenny Pickett was shipped to the Philadelphia Eagles for a third-round pick.

It was a bittersweet few months for the Pittsburgh fanbase. There wasn't a ton of sentimentality built up around Pickett, but he was shrouded in high hopes not that long ago. There was real belief in the local product as the heir to Ben Roethlisberger. It never quite materialized.

The reaction to Russ was decidedly mixed. He's not what he once was, but $1.2 million is nothing. The Denver Broncos are really paying his salary this season. The Fields trade was a bit more celebrated. Even if he's a one-year backup QB rental, a sixth-round pick is very little compared to his dual-threat talent and untapped potential at 25 years old.

In a recent episode of ESPN's Get Up, Mike Greenburg insinuated that Wilson only ended up in Pittsburgh because the Bears didn't reduce their asking price for Fields sooner.

"I believe that if you gave the Steelers truth serum... if they had known at the time that they were going to be able to get Justin Fields for the price they got him for, I don't think they would have signed Russell [Wilson] in the first place."

That take went over like a lead balloon in certain circles. Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette certainly does not agree with Greenburg's assessment, citing the general implausibility of Chicago's asking price shifting so drastically within a 1-2 week period. Here are his comments from a recent appearance on 93.7 The Fan (h/t Steelers Depot).

"I’m sure Omar [Khan] was keeping in touch with [Chicago Bears general manager] Ryan Poles from the end of the season until whenever that deal was made. So I can’t imagine that a week or two passed and Ryan Poles said, ‘Okay, it’s a first-round pick and now it’s a sixth-round pick. So to me, I think Russell Wilson was their guy by now… I think the reason Justin Fields is here is because Kenny Pickett wanted out, and once Kenny Pickett wanted out, you needed to get a viable backup in here."

As for who we should believe here, it's pretty obvious.

Steelers went and got Justin Fields because Kenny Pickett asked out

Fittipaldo is obviously plugged-in as a Steelers beat writer. He also tells a much more believable story. It's clear the Bears never generated much of a market for FIelds, but Ryan Poles consistently said his one goal was to do right by Fields and put him in a good situation — not to squeeze max value out of a trade.

That is precisely what the Bears accomplished. Sure, Fields has a chance to overtake Wilson as the Steelers' starter this season, but he is starting out as QB2. Pickett was unhappy about backing up Wilson, so now Fields will back up Wilson. As soon as the 35-year-old vet landed in the Steel City, he was dubbed the day-one starter. That has been the public messaging throughout his brief tenure.

Fields' reputation is probably inflated by his circumstances. He was a starter in Chicago, but the Bears' lack of success was often attributed to his shortcomings. If there was a team itching to start Fields, he would be on that team right now. He is universally viewed as a QB2 — a QB2 with QB1 upside, maybe, but a QB2 all the same.

It's not like Fields is some long-term investment either. He's on the final year of his contract without much traction on the extension front. Maybe that changes if Fields produces in unexpected ways this season, but there's a better than even chance he's one-and-done in Pittsburgh.

So no, Fields was not the Steelers' desired starter all along. Wilson was. It's up to Fields to prove the Steelers wrong.