General manager Omar Khan and head coach Mike Tomlin have often proven to the NFL that even though every other team is playing checkers, they are playing chess. This was evident in trades like Chase Claypool, Antonio Brown to the Raiders, their strong 2024 draft class and the way they remodeled their QB room with incredible talent. A commonly used phrase to describe the Steelers philosophy is that Pittsburgh does not rebuild, but reloads. With that in mind, it appears that Justin Fields may have been benched to maintain future draft capital.
The Chicago Bears traded their talented QB to Pittsburgh Steelers for a conditional sixth-round pick shortly after Russell Wilson signed a one-year contract with the team.
The main emphasis here would be on the “conditional” aspect of trade. If Fields plays more than 51 percent of the team’s total snaps, the draft pick would move from a sixth-round selection to a fourth-round selection. Even though Fields’ talent is undeniable, if the team can rely on the more consistent veteran in Wilson and underpaying the Bears on the future of the Pittsburgh franchise, Khan will make this move 10 times out of 10.
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This article was originally published on Steelers Wire: Could a conditional 4th round pick be the reason for Fields being benched?
