Obviously, they need a quarterback first. In a playoff game, they benched Kenny Pickett, their previous first-round selection, in favour of Mason Rudolph. That doesn’t exactly exude faith in Pickett. Rudolph is a free agent, but his allure that helped the Steelers to a 3-1 result will wear off, much like that of Josh Dobbs, Jake Browning, or any of these backup quarterbacks.

Thus, how do the Steelers play? The quarterback needs to pique their curiosity. Prior to the 2021 NFL pick, Fields was observed interacting with Mike Tomlin, who appeared genuinely interested in the possibility despite not being within their pick range. They then hired Arthur Smith, who has a lot of connections to Fields due to his success with Marcus Mariota. The Steelers, regardless of the quarterback, will always lean heavily on running, as Tomlin and Smith have demonstrated, but upgrading from Pickett with Fields’ mobility would be a perfect fit.

If there’s one thing we know, it’s that the Bears and Steelers can come to an agreement. The Steelers might be desperate, but they aren’t exactly known for taking big swings. The Steelers may step in and sign Justin Fields for the appropriate amount if they determine that Fields does not have the same level of interest in the league as is currently believed. We will shortly ascertain the cost.