ORLANDO, Fla. – Mike Tomlin will tell you he’s just as excited as he was last year, regarding his quarterback position. The truth is, he has more to be excited about this year.
The Steelers have the most revamped quarterback room in the NFL with Super Bowl-champion Russell Wilson and a three-year starter in Justin Fields.
Together, they replace former first-round picks Kenny Pickett, Mitch Trubisky and former third-rounder Mason Rudolph from last season.
“We’re excited about the guys that we have in Russell and Justin, and really can’t wait to get started,” Tomlin said from the NFL league meetings in Orlando on Monday.
Mike Tomlin explains Steelers’ quarterback situation
Russell Wilson was introduced as the team’s new starting quarterback after signing with Pittsburgh earlier this month. On March 25, Tomlin reinforced that and said Wilson is in “pole position” for the starting job.
NFL STATS CENTRAL: The latest NFL scores, schedules, odds, stats and more.
As for Fields, the former Chicago Bears first-round pick will have an “opportunity to show he’s capable” when training camp and the preseason rolls around later this year.
“He oozes talent and potential. He’s worn the responsibility of being the franchise quarterback and still gets an opportunity to learn from a guy that’s been doing it for over a decade,” Tomlin said of Fields.
“There’s a lot of meat left on the bone,” Tomlin added on Fields, “and I’m excited about working on extracting it.”
Why is Russell Wilson in ‘pole position’ for Steelers starting job?
Tomlin said Wilson leads the Steelers’ new quarterback competition at this point because of his yearly “process has been honed and perfected” during his NFL career.
“Russ is not a guy that’s hungry. Hungry can be satisfied. He’s driven to shape his career up to something he’s envisioned. And that resonated with me,” Tomlin said of Wilson, who completed with 12th season with the Denver Broncos and won a Super Bowl with the Seattle Seahawks in 2014.
Tomlin added regarding Wilson’s age and durability: “I don’t have any concern about his abilities or deteriorations of those.”
Mike Tomlin appreciates Ben Roethlisberger’s run with Steelers
Tomlin, who led the Steelers to a Super Bowl in 2009, has begun his NFL head coaching career with 17 straight non-losing seasons.
He also has former Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who retired after 18 seasons in 2022, to thank for consistency at the position he didn’t have to worry about.
“I didn’t need those circumstances to appreciate a high level of consistency over a long period of time,” Tomlin said when asked about having a franchise quarterback for bulk of his coaching career.
“I’ve just been in it long enough to appreciate it when I had it.”
