It sounds like the Steelers are considering a Justin Fields trade in Week 7

The Pittsburgh Steelers are 4-2 this season with Justin Fields under center. However, with Russell Wilson fully healthy, it appears head coach Mike Tomlin will switch from Fields to Wilson as early as this week when Pittsburgh takes on the New York Jets.

Multiple reports have suggested that this is a quarterback change for the Steelers, but Tomlin's press conference today made it seem much more fluid. He certainly opened the door, but didn't say Wilson would start for the Steelers this week, only that Wilson would get some first-team reps.

“(Russell Wilson) will be considered this week. We’ll see where this takes us,” Tomlin said.

Later in his press conference, Tomlin added: “I acknowledge that Russ demonstrated his health last week and we are looking closely at him this week. It's up for consideration.”

It sounds like the Steelers are thinking about moving on from Justin Fields

Fields started the first six games of the season for the Steelers, who are 4-2 after a win over the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 6. Still, the offense was inconsistent, particularly in the passing attack. Fields has fewer than 150 yards receiving and a completion rate of under 60 percent over the last two weeks. Tomlin praised Fields, but made it clear that his performance at that point was not good enough to win the job outright:

“Justin was really good, and we were really good at times, but not to be confused with great.” This is a competitive league, man. We're trying to position ourselves as that team and we have a player with talent who hasn't had a chance to play yet, so we'll look into those things.

“Sometimes it has nothing to do with what Justin did or didn’t do. Justin was an asset to us. Last week, for example, his ability to use his legs with purpose and spontaneity was a key part of this game. He rushed for over 50 yards and two touchdowns. … We are grateful for that. We are grateful for the way he took care of the ball. But we only look at all the people who are available to us. We do the same thing at every position.”

Tomlin declined to name a starter, gave no details on the timing or distribution of first-team reps this week and said a decision on his starting quarterback for this week's game against the Jets will come “closer to game time.” .

And yet Tomlin's press call felt like the Bears' decision to move on from Justin Fields. He's a dynamic playmaker with his feet who can do some good things through the air, but doesn't have the consistency needed to be a solid starting quarterback in this league. Tomlin knows he has an experienced quarterback on the roster who can potentially provide his team with more consistency in the passing game and seems committed to exploring that scenario.

As for the Bears impact, Fields has started six games for the Steelers and would need to start more if he wants to reach the 51 percent share of Pittsburgh's offensive snaps this season, which would implement the conditional draft pick that the Steelers sent the Bears a fourth-round pick in the trade for Fields this spring.

Even if Tomlin turns to Wilson this week, Fields could still return to the starting role if Wilson doesn't perform, which would ultimately allow Chicago to secure the fourth-round pick.

Wilson hasn't been the same as he used to be in recent seasons, but he wasn't bad during his two years in Denver. In 2023, he threw for 3,070 yards, 26 touchdowns, eight interceptions and a passer rating of 98.0 while completing 66.4 percent of his passes.

If Wilson plays at this level, he will likely retain the starting role for the remainder of the season. However, if he fails, Fields could return to the starting role. With Pittsburgh at 4-2 and eyeing the playoffs, whoever is under center will likely have a short lead. While Wilson may be in line to make his start as early as Sunday, the situation remains very uncertain, especially for Bears fans as it relates to the impact on draft compensation.