Mike Tomlin has his eyes set on Kenny Pickett's replacement for the Steelers

Among the many teams dealing with a quarterback debacle this offseason, the Steelers have entered the chat with a swarm of rumors regarding Mike Tomlin's feelings about Kenny Pickett as the team's quarterback moving forward. It's not exactly shocking, as the Pittsburgh alum has had a bumpy road in the first two years of his NFL career.

But is it time to move on from him already?

If he's not the guy, and we already know Mason Rudolph isn't either, then perhaps it's time to make a move on someone Tomlin believes could be. Recent rumors suggest the head coach has his eyes on Chicago quarterback Justin Fields, who may be up for trade this offseason with the Bears holding the first overall pick and expected to draft Caleb Williams.

If that's the case, NFL insider Adam Schefter reported that Tomlin is a big fan of the fourth-year quarterback, having heavily scouted him before he was drafted in 2021, and could definitely be in the mix if Fields becomes available.

“We know that Pittsburgh is going to go out and get some type of quarterback. Whether that’s Ryan Tannehill, whether that’s Russell Wilson, whether that’s Justin Fields. Mike Tomlin is a big fan of Justin Fields. Keep that in mind during the offseason and the coming weeks…they’re not just going to leave it as Kenny Pickett as his starting job. Mike Tomlin made that very clear. Now, it’s which of these quarterbacks do they make a move for?"

Maybe it's all speculative since Tomlin hasn't exactly come out and said he wants to move on from Pickett already. However, the idea of trading draft capital for a quarterback like Fields, who hasn't proven to be much of an upgrade over Pickett, doesn't seem ideal.

Sure, he's very clearly more of a dual-threat player than Pickett ever will be, and playing in a system like Pittsburgh may be the upgrade that Fields needs to become the best version of himself. But if the Steelers want to be a winning team as soon as possible, would it be worth the risk to see if Fields can be the guy?

Maybe, but maybe not.

At least, for now, this is just talk from Schefter with nothing concrete about what he's saying. We'll just have to keep a close eye on this possibly coming to fruition and decide how to feel about it if and when it happens.