Justin Fields

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Justin Fields prefers his new coaching staff over the Chicago Bears' staff.

In a Thursday appearance on Steelers defensive lineman Cameron Heyward's Not Just Football podcast, Fields was asked to choose between the coaches on his current and former team.

"Pittsburgh," Fields said (1:09:30 mark). "It's not close."

The No. 11 overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft spent the first three years of his career with the Bears before he was traded to the Steelers in March.

Fields earned the starting job in Pittsburgh after veteran passer Russell Wilson was forced to miss time due to a calf injury. He's been a steady presence under center, helping the Steelers become one of five teams in the league to remain undefeated through three weeks.

The 25-year-old is completing a career-high 73.3 percent of his throws for 518 yards, including two touchdowns and an interception. Fields has also made plays with his legs, rushing for an additional 90 yards and a score.

Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin is one of the most accomplished head coaches in NFL history, ranking No. 12 on the all-time wins list. Pittsburgh hasn't experienced a losing record in any season since he took over ahead of the team's 2007 campaign.

While Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith is coming off a tumultuous head coaching tenure with the Atlanta Falcons, he also has established success in the role. Smith helped the Tennessee Titans earn an appearance in the AFC Championship Game during his two seasons as the team's offensive coordinator in 2019 and 2020.

As for the Bears, head coach Matt Eberflus has compiled a record of just 11-26 since taking over the team in 2022. Chicago's offense has struggled with rookie Caleb Williams leading the way, averaging the third-fewest yards per game among all NFL teams this season.

While Fields' career with the Bears didn't go according to plan, he's clearly thankful for the change of scenery.

Quarterback Justin Fields divulged this week that multiple teams spoke with the Chicago Bears about trading for him during the offseason before he was ultimately dealt to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Speaking on Steelers defensive lineman Cam Heyward's Not Just Football podcast (h/t Glenn Erby of Ravens Wire), Fields named the Las Vegas Raiders, Baltimore Ravens and Los Angeles Chargers as teams that expressed interest in him:

"I'm not sure of all the teams, but there were a lot of teams that already had solidified quarterbacks and I didn't want to do that. Chargers were one, Ravens were another. Raiders, they talked a little bit. I don't know too much. Who else was in there I don't know, but a lot of teams had solidified quarterbacks who just got new contracts so I didn't want to be there."

The Steelers ended up landing Fields in exchange for a conditional 2025 second-round pick, and while he was initially tabbed to begin the season as the backup, a calf injury suffered by starter Russell Wilson resulted in Fields starting the first three games of the season and leading Pittsburgh to a 3-0 record.

Of the teams Fields mentioned, he almost certainly wouldn't have had a chance to get any playing time with the Ravens or Chargers, barring injury.

The Ravens are led by reigning NFL MVP Lamar Jackson, while the Chargers have $262.5 million invested in Justin Herbert on the five-year extension he signed with the team in 2023.

However, the Raiders may have been a different story since they did not add a big-name quarterback during the offseason.

Vegas returned 2023 fourth-round pick Aidan O'Connell from last year's team and also signed veteran Gardner Minshew to a two-year, $25 million deal.

Through three games this season, Minshew has thrown for 747 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions for the 1-2 Raiders, leading to speculation that a quarterback change could soon be in the offing.

The Steelers have proved to be the ideal landing spot for Fields thus far, though, as he has been supported by the league's most dominant defense.

He has been more efficient than ever before in completing 73.3 percent of his passes for 518 yards, two touchdowns and one interception, while also rushing for 90 yards and one score on 28 carries.

After the Bears selected him 11th overall in the 2021 NFL draft out of Ohio State, Fields often showed flashes of brilliance, including when he rushed for 1,143 yards and eight touchdowns in 2022, but he went just 10-28 as a starter in Chicago.

Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin seems to have found the winning formula with Fields under center, although it is unclear how much longer he will get the opportunity to start.

Wilson was a limited participant in practice Wednesday, which has been the case for him ever since the start of the season.

Tomlin did name Wilson the started quarterback before he aggravated his calf injury, which suggests he is the coach's preferred choice, but if Fields continues to pile up wins, it may be difficult to go away from him.

Assuming Wilson either doesn't play or serves in a backup capacity, Fields will have an opportunity to get the Steelers off to a 4-0 start Sunday when they go on the road to face the Indianapolis Colts.

Despite Justin Fields' hot start to the season, Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin still hasn't committed to him as the team's starting quarterback while Russell Wilson continues to recover from a calf injury.

When asked on Tuesday why he isn't naming Fields the starter, Tomlin told reporters, "Because there's no need, I explained to you the variables of the week. ... When Russ gets to an appropriate level of health, and I have a decision to make, I'll make it."

Fields, who was acquired from the Chicago Bears this past offseason, was expected to spend the year as Pittsburgh's backup quarterback behind Wilson. However, he was thrust into the starting role when Wilson reaggravated his calf injury late in training camp, and he's more than risen to the occasion.

Field has helped lead the Steelers to a 3-0 start thanks to his steady play. While his numbers of 518 yards, two touchdowns and an interception don't necessarily jump off the page, he's shown a level of poise that wasn't seen during his previous three years in Chicago. He's completing a career-high 73.3 percent of his passes and he's also added 90 rushing yards and another score.

The 25-year-old isn't getting too ahead of himself amid his hot start to the season, as he said after Sunday's win over the Los Angeles Chargers that he's not focused on proving his doubters wrong.

"I'm not really worried about that," Fields said. "I'm more so into proving myself right. I know what kind of player I am. I haven't changed my whole life, so at the end of the day, my teammates help me be great. So shout out to them -- shout out to our defense, shout out to everybody else on the offense for pushing me each and every day at practice. It's just a credit to them. So I'm definitely glad and just feeling good to be in this position, to be honest with you."

When Wilson is fully healthy, the Steelers' best course of action could be to keep riding with Fields until a switch is absolutely necessary.

Pittsburgh will look to move to 4-0 when it faces the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday.

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Justin Fields believes he has evolved "a lot" since landing in the Steel City amid a 3-0 start to the 2024 NFL season.

"I've grown a lot over the past year, the past few months so I'm definitely feeling a lot more confident when I'm out on the field," Fields said, per PennLive.com's Austin Hertzog.

"It means a lot, but at the end of the day it's not just me winning games. I'm just happy to be a part of this team, this organization. I'm definitely looking forward to keeping it going versus Indy."

Fields added he's feeling a "sense of peace out there" and "staying calm in the pocket."

In terms of the raw numbers, the 25-year-old isn't all that different compared to his time with the Chicago Bears. His completion percentage (73.3) and passer rating (95.3) are on pace to be career highs, but his 172.7 passing yards per game, 6.9 yards per attempt and 46.9 QBR are all either right around what he did in Chicago or slightly lower.

Still, it's impossible to avoid the conclusion Fields is more assured right now and has a coaching staff that knows how to accentuate his strengths as a quarterback. At this rate, Russell Wilson may not see the field at all in 2024 after his calf injury opened the door for Fields to take over before the opener.

Caleb Williams' ongoing struggles with the Bears are leading some to reevaluate Fields' tenure in the Windy City as well. The pass protection and offensive game plan, which already received plenty of criticism, were much bigger problems than people realized.

ESPN's Courtney Cronin reported in March that Chicago declined a more attractive trade offer for Fields because the front office believed landing in Pittsburgh was a better path for his individual development.

The Bears did their former quarterback a true solid because he's thriving in his new setting.

Has Justin Fields done enough to keep the starting position for the Pittsburgh Steelers once Russell Wilson gets a clean bill of health?

It sure feels like it.

The 25-year-old was excellent on Sunday, finishing 25-of-32 for 245 yards, a touchdown, an interception and two sacks taken—adding a score on the ground—in his team's 20-10 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers.

And so the Steelers, despite averaging just 17 points per game on the season, are now 3-0 behind Fields, who hasn't put up spectacular stats but has managed the offense well.

Sunday was arguably his finest contest yet this season, and it was the sort of performance that had pundits and fans alike calling for him to be the QB1 going forward:

It was a tougher afternoon for the Chargers and their star quarterback, Justin Herbert, who left the game in the second half after aggravating an ankle injury. He was replaced by Taylor Heinicke, who completed both of his pass attempts for 24 yards but took three sacks.

The loss dropped the Chargers to 2-1 on the season.

But the story was Fields, who is making a compelling case that he deserves to keep the starting job going forward. Head coach Mike Tomlin hasn't offered much insight into which direction he's leaning, saying that the team would evaluate its options once Wilson was cleared to play, but it might be tough to remove a player who has led his team to an undefeated record thus far.

Yes, Pittsburgh's defense has played a huge part in that effort, and the schedule has provided three teams who all missed the postseason last year. There are other factors to consider when evaluating Pittsburgh's success thus far.

But Fields has undoubtedly been a positive development. The Steelers might owe it to him, at this point, to let him hold down the starting gig.

Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith is happy with what he's seen from Justin Fields' two starts thus far in the 2024 season.

"What's been very encouraging to me is his pocket presence," he told reporters Thursday. "He's stood in there when the pocket gets dirty. He's made some big throws down the field. I'm very encouraged."

Fields, 25, has been solid if unspectacular in the team's 2-0 start, throwing for 273 yards, a touchdown, no interceptions, four sacks taken and a 69.8 completion percentage while rushing for 84 yards.

"He loves to compete," head coach Mike Tomlin told reporters on Wednesday regarding Fields. "He's got a quiet confidence about him. He doesn't change in environments. There's a clarity in his communication, in his response to communications, that's really comfortable."

While Fields hasn't shown the game-breaking rushing ability that he often displayed in Chicago, he's shown a more steady command over the offense, limiting mistakes and allowing the team's run game and defense to win games.

In general, the offense feels like a work in progress, with a new offensive coordinator in Smith and two new quarterbacks in Fields and the injured Russell Wilson.

"I feel like I'm, we're like a startup on offense, a startup company, really," Smith told reporters. "And, you know, we've got a great defense and good (special) teams. So those are things we've go to work with and we've got to keep working."

As for Wilson, the veteran is dealing with a calf injury expected to keep him out again in Week 3, clearing Fields to make another start.

"Really, we're kind of in the same posture as we were in last week with Russ," head coach Mike Tomlin told reporters on Tuesday. "As I sit here today, Russ is not scheduled to be a full participant in practice, and so we're readying a plan that features Justin and his readiness."

Wilson was only a limited participant in practice again on Thursday.

As for whether or not Fields could remain the starter even when Wilson is healthy, Tomlin didn't outright reject the possibility this week, though he didn't endorse the idea either.

"My position regarding the pecking order and the depth chart has not changed guys, and it won't until the other guy (Wilson) gets healthy, and then we'll give it real consideration," he told reporters. "Until then, I won't speculate."

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Justin Fields is confident that Caleb Williams, his replacement on the Chicago Bears, is "going to be fine" amid a tough start to his NFL career.

"Of course, it's just not him, but he's going to get most of the blame just because of the position he's in," Fields said to Fox News Digital's Chantz Martin. "But just as a whole … the guys over there I know … they want to be better, and I think they're going to be better. So, I'm hoping that they start getting [the things] done on offense that they need to do.

"[Caleb] played two pretty good defenses coming out, so I think he'll be fine."

Williams is certainly getting his fair share of criticism. Through two games, he has 267 passing yards and two touchdowns along with 59 rushing yards on 10 carries.

The concerns about whether the No. 1 overall pick might try to improvise too much have been well-founded so far. He's learning the hard way that extending plays for too long in the NFL can have disastrous outcomes.

Amid the discourse around Williams, however, is an acknowledgement that he's not solely to blame for the struggles of the passing game. When some of the same problems that hampered Fields in Chicago are carrying over to this year, clearly the quarterback isn't the sole source.

Overreactions are a hallmark of the first few weeks in any given NFL season, and rookie quarterbacks, once offered a reasonable level of leeway in terms of their performance, are expected to hit the ground running now.

In the case of Williams, some of his flaws should be ironed out as he gains more and more experience. In particular, he'll better understand what he can and can't get away with as a playmaker.

But some of the issues affecting the Bears offense require solutions from much higher up in the organization.