Real football is at the doorstep with Week 1 just around the corner. The Pittsburgh Steelers already know the task ahead as Aaron Rodgers leads the team against his brief, former NFL home in the New York Jets.
Of course, the Steelers’ defense won’t have as much to do with that homecoming story. Instead, they’ll be tasked with stopping the other quarterback playing his former team, Justin Fields.
Payton Wilson, who appeared on The NFL Insiders recently, spoke about playing his former quarterback.
Pittsburgh Steelers' Payton Wilson reflects on relationship with Justin Fields
“It’ll be fun. I mean, I actually built a great relationship with Justin; he was in some of our bible studies,” Wilson said. “Just the way that he approaches the game is amazing. So, I’m just excited to get out there and compete against him. Obviously, you know, we want to go out there and absolutely destroy Justin, but at the end of the day, Justin’s a great guy, and I’m just super excited to play against him and can’t wait for that Week 1 matchup.”
Fields had more than his fair share of supporters in Pittsburgh. Many fans wanted to bring him back, hoping the franchise would build around him for the future. Of course, the Jets offered him more than the Steelers would, leading to the scenario both teams find themselves in.
But that has always been the story for Fields in his NFL career. He’s easy to root for, even if he hasn’t put all of the pieces together quite yet in his pursuit of becoming a franchise quarterback in the league.
Still, for all the friends and supporters Fields made in Pittsburgh, Wilson is right to point out that the defense needs to handle their former QB in the Week 1 matchup. Though Fields has struggled throwing the ball this preseason, he’s still a dangerous runner on a team with heavy intentions on pounding the rock in 2025.
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With Wilson stepping into a three-down role, he and Patrick Queen will have their work cut out to corral Fields when he scrambles. In just six games as the starter, plus a few extra snaps later in the season, Fields racked up 289 yards on the ground with five touchdowns. Over his four-year career, Fields averages six yards per rushing attempt, too.
Wilson and Queen should be ready to contain Fields as two young, speedy linebackers. The duo combined for 207 tackles last year. Having the advantage of knowing Fields' weakness and tendencies after a year of practicing against him should prove advantageous to open the 2025 campaign.