INDIANAPOLIS — Quarterbacks dominated the conversation Tuesday during the first day of the NFL Combine, and most of the talk had little to do with the new class of passing prospects.
The futures of two quarterbacks loosely linked to the Pittsburgh Steelers — Chicago’s Justin Fields and Denver’s Russell Wilson — were at the epicenter of discussions when some general managers and coaches met with the media at the Indiana Convention Center.
With the Bears holding the No. 1 overall pick and eyeing a future that involves drafting former Southern Cal passer Caleb Williams, Fields could be on the trade market with the Steelers linked as one of the points landing.
The Broncos appear destined to move on from Wilson after two turbulent seasons in Denver and despite owing him $39 million guaranteed in 2024 while facing an $85 million “dead money” impact on the salary cap. The Steelers, who only signed third-year quarterback Kenny Pickett this season, are reportedly looking for a veteran if they don’t retain free agent Mason Rudolph.
Bears general manager Ryan Poles acknowledged Tuesday that he might be inclined to move Fields before the start of free agency on March 13, rather than waiting until the draft in late April. Fields is entering his fourth season and is 10-28 as a starter, with a 5-8 mark in 2023.
Poles said his phone “won’t stop ringing” with teams interested in seeing what compensation the Bears are seeking for Fields.
“If we went down this path, I also want to do what’s right by Justin,” Poles said. “No one wants to live in gray. I know it’s uncomfortable. I wouldn’t want to be in that situation either. We will gather the information; we will act as quickly as possible.
Wilson said earlier in the week on a podcast that he would like to stay with Denver, which traded for him 23 months ago and signed him to a five-year contract extension worth $242.5 million. dollars that is now a noose around the neck of the organization.
If Wilson is released, he could sign with any team for the NFL veteran minimum.
After spending one season in Denver as Wilson’s coach, Sean Payton seemed resigned to an upcoming divorce from the nine-time Pro Bowl passer. He talked about seeing a meme on social media depicting a Broncos fan wearing a T-shirt with the names of eight former quarterbacks crossed out.
“Our job is to make sure no lines cross it,” Payton said.
If he becomes a free agent, Wilson will join a group of free agents that includes Kirk Cousins, Ryan Tannehill and Baker Mayfield.
Cousins spent the last six seasons in Minnesota. He played in eight games last season before ending it on injured reserve.
“We have our interests, he has his interests,” Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah said. “We’re going to come to the table to see if we can come up with a creative solution and some sort of middleman meeting.”
In his first season with the Buccaneers, Mayfield started all 17 games and led Tampa Bay to a playoff victory over Philadelphia. General manager Jason Licht called it a “perfect marriage” and said he was trying to keep Mayfield from testing the market again.
Adding to the quarterback movement is a draft class that could have as many as six passers selected in the first round, including three in the top five. This after a year in which quarterbacks went 1-2 and three of the first four overall picks.
“It could be a veteran, it could be a young player,” Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot said of the quarterbacks on his team’s radar. “The cool thing this year is there are a lot of good options across the board. There are good options regarding veterans, UFAs, possible trades, draft.
“The main thing is to do things well. »
Which, of course, is also the hardest part.
Consider that in 2017, the Chicago Bears took Mitch Trubisky second overall, moving ahead of Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson. Or that the New York Jets selected Sam Darnold instead of Josh Allen or Lamar Jackson in 2018.
“You have to have a great leader, and he better be resilient,” said Bears coach Matt Eberflus, who will start over at quarterback if Fields is traded. “It is better to be able to handle criticism and obviously have the physical qualities. Precision, timing, everything you talk about and being a winner, that’s what it’s about.
For the Steelers, they believed the answer in 2022 was Pickett, the only quarterback selected in the first round that year. Two years later, they’re not really giving up on Pickett, but coach Mike Tomlin said the competition for the starting job would happen in training camp.
In the 2022 draft, the Falcons used their third-round pick on Desmond Ridder. His struggles in 15 games and 13 starts last year – he had as many interceptions (12) as touchdown passes – have already left Atlanta searching for a successor.
This sudden turn of events was not lost on new head coach Raheem Morris, who replaced Arthur Smith, now the Steelers’ offensive coordinator, after a third straight 7-10 score.
“If we had better quarterback play,” Morris said while speaking to the media, “I might not be on this podium.”
Joe Rutter is a TribLive reporter who has covered the Pittsburgh Steelers since the 2016 season. A graduate of Greensburg Salem High School and Point Park, he is in his fifth decade of covering sports for the Trib. He can be reached at jrutter@triblive.com.
