Steelers Warned About 'Justin Fields 2.0'

PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Steelers are in the hunt for a quarterback for yet another season after a season of going with a bridge quarterback did not help them discover a franchise-altering option.

With that in mind, they are entering a year with both a historically weak quarterback free agent class as well as what looks to be one of the worst quarterback draft classes in league history.

The top free agent option seems to be Malik Willis, the former Green Bay Packers backup who played will in limited time over the past two seasons as the backup quarterback to Jordan Love. It seems a couple teams, including the Steelers would be in the market for him, but Mark Kaboly of the Pat McAfee Show does not share the same outlook as many do on the player. On the Kaboly + Mack show, Kaboly spoke on his distrust of Willis as the future of the Steelers.

"I don't think he's the answer," Kaboly said. "He's Justin Fields 2.0. Justin Fields all over again."

Willis is a couple years younger than Justin Fields, and certainly has less NFL experience than Fields did when he joined the Steelers for the 2024 season. Fields and his counterpart Russell Wilson were both mediocre in their time in Pittsburgh, and the Steelers would certainly prefer to strive for better than that tandem when going into the next season.

Dec 1, 2024; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Justin Fields (2) runs with the ball against the Cincinnati Bengals in the second half at Paycor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images | Katie Stratman-Imagn Images

Could Steelers Land Willis?

On the other hand, the Steelers more than likely cannot do much better than Willis for the coming season. The reality is that the quarterback situation is so dire across the league for teams in need of a quarterback that a second iteration of Justin Fields is about as good as it gets.

There is not a quarterback that stands out among the current grouping of players that appears to be a much better player or value at the position than Willis. It is entirely possible that the Steelers do not get a chance at Willis because other teams are willing to spend more to land him.

It is certainly a gamble for whichever team decides to go for Willis due to his low sample size, but the Steelers can not afford to stand pat and let the quarterback situation sort itself out. A possibility of remaining with Aaron Rodgers at quarterback exists, but is not a certainly nor the most likely way for the Steelers to be competitive next season.

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