The Pittsburgh Steelers handled the last 12 months very oddly with Justin Fields.
And on Week 1 Sunday, they got to see the outcome when Fields quarterbacked the New York Jets in a very impressive way in the season opener against those Steelers.
Things could've been so different, if Pittsburgh had wanted them to be. But the Steelers chose a different pass.
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Why did the Steelers bench Justin Fields in 2024?
The Steelers were planning on Justin Fields being the backup in 2024 behind Russell Wilson.
Then just before the opener last season, Wilson got hurt. That made Fields the starter.
It took six games for Wilson to get healthy, and in that time, Pittsburgh went 4-2.
But head coach Mike Tomlin had always planned to play Wilson when he was healthy, and that's what happened.
Wilson got the Steelers to the first round of the playoffs, where they lost.
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Why did the Steelers let Justin Fields leave for the Jets?
The Steelers didn't want Fields to be their starter, clearly.
They didn't ride with him in 2024, and they wanted to go elsewhere this offseason rather than pay Fields.
The Jets got him for two years and $40 million.
The Steelers got Aaron Rodgers for cheaper.
But if Fields looks as good all season as he did in Week 1, it could end up feeling like a big mistake.
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