Looming Steelers deadline forces choice between Russell Wilson and Justin Fields

In a very short time frame, the Pittsburgh Steelers have completely transformed their quarterback room. Gone are the underwhelming triumvirate of Kenny Pickett, Mitch Trubisky, and Mason Rudolph, and in their place are Russell Wilson and Justin Fields.

Wilson and Fields are surely more talented than Pittsburgh's previous quarterbacks, but their acquisitions were truly a case of the old axiom that one man's trash is another one's treasure. Wilson wore out his welcome with Denver and head coach Sean Payton, to the point that the Broncos decided that they would rather rebuild with Jarett Stidham and/or a possible rookie than keep riding the Russ Bus, while Fields was deemed expendable by the Bears, who seem intent on drafting Caleb Williams with the No. 1 pick in the draft.

The Steelers brought both Wilson and Fields on board for next to nothing. Wilson is being paid the league minimum by Pittsburgh (with the rest of his $39 million salary being covered by Denver), and Fields was acquired for a sixth-round pick that could become a fourth if he plays over 50% of the team's snaps.

These were high-upside, low-risk moves by Steelers GM Omar Khan, and the fanbase is understandably upbeat after years of offensive ineptitude. Which quarterback will win the job, though, and which, if any, will be the Steelers quarterback of the future?

Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin recently said that although Wilson has "pole position" in the race to be the team's starter, Fields would have a chance to "compete" and win the job. A May 2 deadline on Justin Fields' fifth-year option will tell Steelers fans more than Tomlin ever could, though, as Yahoo Sports' Charles Robinson recently laid out.

Will the Steelers choose between Russell Wilson and Justin Fields before they ever play a down?

The Steelers are in a difficult position. If they pick up Fields' fifth-year option, it would mark an end to the Russell Wilson era before it even begins, because you just don't pay a backup quarterback over $25 million. Pittsburgh undoubtedly likes Fields and his skill set, which is why they traded for him in the first place, but there's a big difference between shipping out a late-round pick and paying that much money for a guy that has never taken the field for you.

If the Steelers don't pick up the option, they run the risk of Fields balling out and then either costing much more money, or leaving for a team that will pay him. If they do pick it up, they risk alienating Wilson before his first training camp in black and gold, plus tying up a not-insignificant portion of next year's cap on a guy that a) the Bears had trouble giving away this offseason, and b) Pittsburgh's coaches haven't had the chance to work with yet.

Robinson lays out a compromise that makes a lot of sense for both sides: a one-year extension in place of Fields' fifth-year option at a price that's more palatable than $25 million. This would give Fields the security of knowing he has two years to prove himself as the Steelers' franchise quarterback, while also giving Pittsburgh room to let Russ cook this year and make a long-term decision further down the line.

Who could have predicted when the offseason began that we'd be talking about Russell Wilson vs. Justin Fields? The Steelers quarterback battle is the offseason storyline we didn't know we needed, and it will be fascinating to see how it plays out in the coming months.