Does Jets QB Justin Fields Have Beef With Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin?

There's a mutual respect there, but Tomlin did bench Fields, and now he's gone...

Dec 8, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Justin Fields (2) warms up before the game against the Cleveland Browns at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images / Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Why did Justin Fields choose to leave the Pittsburgh Steelers and join the New York Jets when Fields had similar offers from both teams on the table?

The 26-year-old former No. 11 overall pick out of Ohio State signed a two-year, $40 million deal with the Jets on March 13, but he could have returned to the Steelers. All signs indicate that Pittsburgh desired to bring Fields back. Many members of Steelers Nation — including players like Cam Heyward — have expressed disappointment that Fields is gone.

Ultimately, Fields decided to turn over a new leaf and join Gang Green, where he’s expected to be the Jets’ starting quarterback in 2025. It’s not that Fields wasn’t going to start in Pittsburgh, but there might have been some sourness lingering in the wake of Fields being benched in 2024 in favor of Russell Wilson.

Did Fields’s benching lead to his decision to leave Pittsburgh? Only Fields would be able to provide the truth on that — and we’ll never know — but The Athletic’s Zack Rosenblatt recently suggested that Fields’s adverse experience in 2024 under Mike Tomlin didn’t help matters, especially since many Steelers players preferred Fields over Wilson.

“Fields has not been made available to the media, but it is notable that reports have indicated the Steelers had a similar offer on the table to retain him; Fields prioritized the Jets, who were likely more willing to make Fields their starter going into 2025,” Rosenblatt wrote this week.

“(It likely didn’t help that Mike Tomlin benched Fields last season, against the wishes of many in that Steelers locker room.)”

The Jets are set to host the Steelers at home in 2025, making for a juicy reunion between Fields and his former team. The showdown will be even more exhilarating if Aaron Rodgers is involved as Pittsburgh’s QB.

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