NFL Rumors: Jets ‘Preparing for Russell Wilson to Start’ over Steelers’ Justin Fields

Although the Pittsburgh Steelers have yet to make an official announcement, Russell Wilson is reportedly expected to start at quarterback against the New York Jets on Sunday night.

According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Steelers are planning to start Wilson and he will play the bulk of the snaps, although Fields will see some action as well.

ESPN reported earlier Friday that the Jets were preparing for Wilson to start, but also prepared for the Steelers continuing to utilize Fields, perhaps as part of a third-down or red-zone package.

If Wilson does start, it will be his first start of the season, as he did not see any game action during the Steelers’ first six contests due to a calf injury suffered during training camp.

After serving as the Denver Broncos’ starter for two seasons, Wilson was released at the conclusion of the 2023 campaign. Since the Broncos still owed Wilson a significant amount of guaranteed money, it allowed him to offer his services to other teams at a discounted rate.

The nine-time Pro Bowler and one-time Super Bowl champion ultimately signed a one-year, $1.21 million contract with the Steelers.

Pittsburgh later added Fields in a trade with the Chicago Bears for insurance, and Wilson was named the Steelers’ starting quarterback during the preseason.

However, Wilson aggravated his calf injury shortly before the start of the regular season, and when it was determined during a pre-game warmup in Week 1 that he was not healthy enough to play, Fields got the start.

Fields went on to start the Steelers’ first six games of the season, posting a 4-2 record while completing 66.3 percent of his passes for 1,106 yards, five touchdowns and one interception, plus 231 yards and five scores on the ground.

While Fields struggled as a passer in last week’s 32-13 win over the Las Vegas Raiders, going 14-of-24 for 145 yards with no touchdowns or picks, he did score two rushing touchdowns.

Despite Fields racking up another win, Wilson took the first-team reps in practice this week and was removed from the injury report, leading to speculation that he was in line to take back the starting job.

Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin still hasn’t made that announcement, but Steelers wide receiver George Pickens may have let the proverbial cat out of the bag by telling reporters he was doing extra work with Wilson since he was about to have his “first start.”

If Wilson does indeed start, it may be a controversial decision within the Steelers’ fanbase since Fields has played virtually mistake-free football and helped the team play well out of the gates.

However, Wilson is a veteran of 188 career regular-season starts and 16 playoff starts, including a pair of Super Bowl appearances.

Tomlin could be of the belief that Wilson gives the Steelers a better chance to win come playoff time, and if that is the case, getting him back in the lineup as soon as possible makes sense.

Wilson is in line to have a tough first assignment against the Jets, though, since they rank second in the NFL in total defense with just 273 total yards allowed per game.

It can be argued that Fields’ mobility would play well against the Jets, but all signs point toward Wilson finally getting his shot in a primetime home game Sunday night.