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The Pittsburgh Steelers might just be the most interesting team in the entire NFL heading into the 2024 season.
No, not because they are going to be Super Bowl contenders, as that simply feels unrealistic, but because of the sheer value of outcome they could experience this fall, from fighting for the top spot in the 2025 NFL draft to making the playoffs in a Wildcard berth like last season.
If the Steelers find success, it will likely mean they've found their new long-term quarterback, but if they fall apart? Well, let's just say their win-loss record won't be the only thing taking Ls heading into 2025.
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1. Justin Fields starts more games than Russell Wilson
In the NFL, if you have two starting quarterbacks, do you actually have none? John Madden sure seems to think so, but what about the Steelers, as after signing Russell Wilson and trading away Kenny Pickett, they acquired Justin Fields, the OSU legend who turned in about as many good plays as bad during his tenure with the Chicago Bears.
Now through camp, Wilson has unquestionably won the quarterback competition between the two men, but what happens if the former Bronco plays poorly in victory, or worse, the Steelers find themselves with something like a 1-5 record through the first month and a half of the season? Pittsburgh's first six games aren't exactly loaded with premier opponents, with only the Dallas Cowboys really considered a Super Bowl contender, so digging that sort of hole before the gauntlet that is the AFC North's divisional round leaves very little hope for a rebound down the stretch.
If that happens, would Pittsburgh give Fields a shot to run the offense even if he isn't necessarily a better performer than Wilson? Or even more interestingly, would the Steelers consider trading Wilson if some team were to lose their franchise quarterback for the year with a season-ending injury, as his minute cap hit makes him easily movable to any team interested in his talents?
At the end of the day, that question could ultimately define the Steelers' season more than any other.
So, when it comes to bold predictions, it's entirely possible Fields could end up playing more snaps and starting more games than Wilson this fall, which could be very good if he puts it all together and becomes the player fans expected coming out of Ohio State but could be very bad if he plays like he did during his lowlights in Chicago. Why? Because at 35, Wilson is approaching the end of his NFL career, and while Fields could theoretically hold down the fort for a team for another decade and still be younger than Wilson is today, if the goal of 2024 is to find a direction for the Steelers, giving Fields plenty of run has to be a priority if the playoffs go out the window.
2. Mike Tomlin's .500 record streak ends in season 18
If you are a fan of the Steelers who isn't yet of legal age to purchase tobacco in the Keystone State, you have never seen your favorite team have a losing season.
I know, crazy, right? But it's true; in Tomlin's 17 seasons leading the Steelers, Pittsburgh has finished with a .500 record three times, made the playoffs 11 times, and even won a Super Bowl, but they have never had a losing season even as the schedule expanded from 16 to 17.
Unprecedented? No, but it's an incredibly rare feat indeed, and likely why he remains in his job to this day despite having been on the head coaching hot seat on multiple occasions since during the post-Ben Roethlisberger era.
And yet, in 2024, if the Steelers can't seem to find consistency under center, struggle to get much going under new head coach Arther Smith, and just generally fail to come together as a team, Tomlin's record could fall too, signifying the sort of bottom falling out moment the franchise simply hasn't experienced since what, 1969, when the team parlayed a horrible season into drafting Terry Bradshaw first overall?
For better or worse, the Steelers won't be the worst team in the NFL this fall, as they have too much talent, too much experience, and frankly, too much pride to truly bottom out in the sort of way that would place the team in-line for the first overall pick in 2025. Still, after failing to find their franchise QB in Kenny Pickett, it wouldn't be the worst idea imaginable for the team to take another shot at another premier young signal-caller to lead the franchise into the future, regardless of who is coaching the team next fall.
