It’s happening.
Russell Wilson is set to make his Pittsburgh Steelers debut on Sunday Night Football. NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport reports the Steelers are starting Wilson, which sends Justin Fields to the bench after quarterbacking the team to a 4-2 start in the first six weeks:
Even though Pittsburgh is starting Russell Wilson this week against the Jets, The Athletic’s Dianna Russini hears that Pittsburgh will have a package of plays for Justin Fields. This takes me back to 2021 when Andy Dalton was the Bears’ Week 1 starter, but then-Head Coach Matt Nagy put together a set of plays for Fields to run. And for what it’s worth, that package worked fine. Deploying Fields as a goal-line threat would be the type of thing that could work if ironed out properly. Plus, it gets the Bears a step closer to Fields reaching that 51 percent snap share rate that would upgrade the sixth-round pick they’re getting from the Steelers to a fourth-rounder. Every bit helps!
It is Russell Wilson’s time in Pittsburgh
Given this new information, Pittsburgh Steelers opponents are about to land a new fan.
Simply put: So long as the Steelers are starting Russell Wilson, I will be inclined to root against them every week. With all due respect to Russ — a Walter Payton Man of the Year winner and respected football player across the board — I need him to stink moving forward. It’s nothing personal. Instead, it’s all business.
Pittsburgh’s plan to start Russ takes a bite out of the likelihood that the Bears will get a fourth-round pick from the Steelers to complete the Justin Fields trade. Remember, the sixth-round pick going Chicago’s way will turn into a fourth-rounder if Fields gets in on 51 percent of the team’s offensive snaps this year. That doesn’t seem likely to happen if Russell Wilson is starting.
Sure, Fields getting 10-15 offensive snaps per game from here on out to get us to that 51 percent threshold isn’t out of the realm of possibilities. But the math might not be math-ing in the Bears’ favor down the stretch (even if that scenario plays out). And if that is how the cookie crumbles, then I am going to want that sixth-rounder to be as close to the top of that round as possible. For that to happen, I’ll need the Steelers to bottom out.
As it stands, Pittsburgh’s fourth-round pick is selection No. 128 and its sixth-round selection is No. 201 overall. Can you see why I’m actively rooting for Justin Fields to take back the starting job from Russell Wilson so he can reach the 51 percent snap share number? If I can’t get that, then I’ll take the next best thing — which is seeing that Pittsburgh sixth-round pick shoot straight to the top of the round.
Moving forward, my football rooting fandoms are as follows:
- The Bears (duh!)
- Whichever teams are playing the Packers, Lions, and Vikings in a given week (obviously)
- Whoever is playing the Steelers (it is what it is)
- Smooth Louie Apollo a.k.a. my fantasy team in a league where all the squads are named in honor of the “Lisa The Greek” episode of The Simpsons (we’re 5-1 and have scored the most points in the league!)
- Southern Illinois University Carbondale (my beloved Salukis are off to a rough start, but I can’t quit them)
Again, it’s nothing personal against Russell Wilson. It’s all business. Go Bears. And go (Insert Steelers Opponent Name Here).