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New Steelers Arthur Smith, Russell Wilson, Justin Fields All Have ‘Something to Prove’

Originally posted on Steelers Now | By Adam Borst | Last updated 4/29/24

This offseason the Pittsburgh Steelers brought in a trio of guys that were ran out their previous jobs. Those three guys are offensive coordinator Arthur Smith and quarterbacks Russell Wilson and Justin Fields. Last season, Smith was the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons while Wilson started games for the Broncos and Fields was the starter in Chicago.

Ultimately, the Falcons fired Smith after his three-year tenure as head coach resulted in three losing seasons and a 21-30 overall record.

Wilson comes to Pittsburgh after a drama-infested two-year stretch as Denver’s starting quarterback where he guided to Broncos to a 11-19 record in 30 starts. After an up-and-down three-year start to his career, the Bears traded Fields to the Steelers. In his three seasons as a Bear, Fields and company went 11-29 in his 40 career starts.

Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin stated that the three newcomers are going through a similar reformation process to what the organization as a whole is going through. Additionally, Tomlin said that all three came in highly motivated and that they meshed well.

“It’s going really well.” Tomlin told Peter Schrager of the NFL Network and Fox Sports. “All three guys – to be really transparent – are somewhat scolded. They [have] something to prove professionally but we as a collective feel the same way. We have something to prove and I just think that is a good frame of mind to be in as individuals and as a collective as we prepare ourselves for the 2024 season. It’s not fun to relocate or get fired or things of that nature but as competitors, it always motivates in the right way.”

While Smith, Wilson and Fields all “failed” at their last destinations, so did the Steelers with Matt Canada and Kenny Pickett at the helm. With those guys in a new and fresh environment, it will be interesting to see if this new combination of offensive coordinator and quarterbacks can bring playoff success back to Pittsburgh while they turn their careers around in the process.

Regardless of their motivation levels now or how well they mesh together, what matters are results. Those results can dictate a lot of things after the 2024 season concludes.

This article first appeared on Steelers Now and was syndicated with permission.

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