The NFL’s quarterback carousel spins faster than a Shane Lechler punt. It’s less about the highlight reels and more about the quiet, daily grind witnessed only within the facility walls. Finding a franchise QB is its own intricate, often ruthless, form of beauty. This brings us to Justin Fields, his jaw-dropping Pittsburgh debut (145 yds passing, 59 yds rushing, 2 rush TDs vs. Raiders in ’24), and the Steelers’ surprising pivot away from him.
Former Steelers legend Jerome Bettis, speaking to Zach Gelb, cut through the noise with the clarity of a veteran pulling guard. When asked if Pittsburgh should have stuck with Fields over pursuing Aaron Rodgers, ‘The Bus’ didn’t hesitate, grounding his answer in the unseen reality of daily practice: “No,” Bettis stated. “I think you saw what people don’t understand is he was in the building every single day. They got a chance to see him every single day.” Bettis peeled back the curtain on the Steelers’ decision-making process.
However, he also added, “It is not an indictment on him. He may go in New York and have success, and I hope he does. But it was just something that they said, ‘nah, it’s not for us’, right? Because you have to think, if you keep him, are you willing next year to give him $150 million contract?” It wasn’t a dismissal of Fields’s undeniable, electric talent—the kind that saw him rewrite record books in Chicago. Remember that Miami game in November 2022? 178 yards rushing—the most ever by a QB in a regular-season game, shattering Mike Vick’s mark.
He didn’t just run wild. He threw 3 TD passes too, becoming the first QB in NFL history to combine 150+ rushing yards with 3+ passing scores in one outing. The very next week? He torched Detroit for 147 rushing yards and 2 rushing TDs. Moreover, adding 2 more through the air—another league-first stat line. For a breathtaking five-game stretch that year, Fields piled up 555 rushing yards. That’s the most by any QB over five games in the Super Bowl era. Hence, adding streaks of 6 straight games with a rushing TD and 5 straight with both a rushing and passing TD.
“When they made the decision not to bring him back,” Bettis continued, “it was clearly something that they saw that they said, ‘We can live without.’ And I think that’s what you have to look at.” This is where the gridiron poetry meets the pragmatic calculus of NFL roster building.
Beauty in the brutal Fields calculus
Head coach Mike Tomlin, the architect of 18 straight non-losing seasons, undoubtedly admired Fields’ rare physical gifts. And that is the breakaway speed showcased on that record 67-yard TD scamper against Detroit on Thanksgiving. It was indeed a run that had fans roaring ’FIELDS IS A GOD DAMN MAN!’ online. He saw the powerful arm and the competitive fire. But witnessing him daily—in the film room, on the practice field, in every rep and meeting—revealed nuances and perhaps developmental plateaus that public highlight packages couldn’t capture. It’s about projecting not just next week, but years down the line.
“It is not an indictment on him,” Bettis emphasized. “He may go in New York and have success—and I hope he does, actually. But it was just something that they said, ‘Nah, it’s not for us.’ Right?”
Here’s the kicker—the financial endgame that transforms a football decision into a multi-million-dollar gamble:
“Because you have to think,” Bettis laid bare, “if you keep him, are you willing next year to give him a $150 million contract? So you’ve got to ask yourself, do we keep him here and make this commitment? Do we see enough to make that commitment? And if the answer is no, you say, ‘You know what, we move on and try to find the next opportunity.’”
PITTSBURGH, PA – OCTOBER 06: Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Justin Fields 2 looks on before the regular season NFL, American Football Herren, USA football game between the Dallas Cowboys and Pittsburgh Steelers on October 06, 2024 at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, PA. Photo by Mark Alberti/Icon Sportswire NFL: OCT 06 Cowboys at Steelers EDITORIAL USE ONLY Icon24100658167
Tomlin saw the explosive potential in Fields. He saw him as the player who holds the single-game QB rushing record. Indeed, the only QB ever with multiple 60+ yard rushing TDs in the Super Bowl era. And the dynamic force who gave Pittsburgh a jolt in his debut. But the daily view, the granular assessment of consistency, processing, and long-term fit under the intense pressure of the AFC North, led to a different conclusion. It wasn’t about Fields lacking talent. It was about Pittsburgh seeing a ceiling or a fit that didn’t align with their vision at the ultimate price point.
Fields takes his unique brand of gridiron poetry—19 rushing TDs, a 6.0 yds/carry average—to New York. Moreover, he is armed with a fresh 2-year, $40 M deal. Also, he has had the chance to prove the Steelers’ internal evaluation wrong. Meanwhile, Tomlin and the Steelers roll the dice on the experienced. Albeit aging, the genius of Rodgers, betting on his precision passing and veteran savvy, can end their playoff drought. In the high-stakes NFL, beauty isn’t just in the spectacular plays. Sometimes, it’s in the tough, unseen evaluations made when the cameras are off. Only time will reveal who truly saw the board more clearly.
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