Mike Tomlin and the Pittsburgh Steelers went through a real rollercoaster during the 2024 season. It all started with Justin Fields leading the team to a 4-2 record while Russell Wilson was recovering from an injury.
However, when the Steelers faced Aaron Rodgers and the Jets in Week 7, Tomlin surprised the NFL by naming Wilson the starter. No one expected that decision when things were working.
At first, the change seemed to bring great results. Russ propelled Pittsburgh to a 10-3 record with an offense that was gaining 400 yards per game and even putting up 40-point performances. Suddenly, when the schedule got tougher, everything went downhill.
The Steelers faced a brutal stretch that included the Philadelphia Eagles, the Kansas City Chiefs, and the Ravens. It was four straight losses to end the season, and in the playoffs, Baltimore sent them home early.
Why did Steelers let Justin Fields go?
According to various reports, the Steelers did make an offer to keep Justin Fields, but due to what happened during the 2024 season, the quarterback rejected that proposal and went to the New York Jets.
Now, in very revealing information, Albert Breer points out that many people inside the Steelers organization did not agree with Tomlin’s preference for Wilson, especially when things got tough toward the end of the schedule.
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“I think people would tell you that the Russell Wilson thing undermined so many things in the last month of the season. A lot of that building really wanted them to go back to Justin Fields. It was something where Mike Tomlin was kind of, again, all on his own.”
