It was a whirlwind of an afternoon-evening on the southside in Pittsburgh, PA. on Friday. 

Shortly after introducing a variety of free agents including QB Russell Wilson, the Steelers pulled the plug on the Kenny Pickett experiment. 

In doing so, they have re-claimed status as a top target for polarizing QB Justin Fields:

Steelers Back in the Fields Sweepstakes?

“The Eagles, from what I understand talking to sources around the league, were one of the teams that had talked to the Bears about Justin Fields, but obviously could not get to the point where they agreed on a price, so they traded for Pickett.”

— @DanGrazianoESPN pic.twitter.com/csLCjNboM0

— Word On The Birds (@WordOnTheBirds) March 15, 2024

At this point, it's obvious that the market that many in the media assumed Fields would have has dried up. 

In reality, league sources confirmed to me that his market would always be more bearish than what those on the outside assumed. 

So what once was thought to be a trade spot that gave Fields the opportunity to start fresh as the face of a franchise, has quickly turned to trying to find a team that needs a backup QB. 

Prior to the trade of Pickett to Philly, any idea of Fields joining the team had gone out the window following the signing of Russell Wilson on Sunday night.  

But suddenly, Pittsburgh is back to only one QB under contract for 2024 with Russell Wilson. And before you say, "Well, why would they trade for Fields when they just signed Wilson?" Let me explain:

Wilson is on a one-year deal and was initially supposed to be a part of a camp battle with Kenny Pickett before that was proved to be a fallacy, leading Pickett to request a trade. 

That makes signing Fields as a solidified backup to Wilson a real possibility.
Letting him have a year to get his feet under him and then prove it on a one-year deal in 2025 after Wilson's contract expires would be advantageous to his development. 

And look, this is all hypothesizing. But as the definition of the term suggests, the guess is educated when you consider the consistent ties of Fields to Pittsburgh by Adam Schefter, and just look at the landscape of the league. 

So what happens next will be just as interesting at what transpired on Friday. 

Pittsburgh now has to add at least two more QBs, and unless they plan on drafting both, it means one will be a current NFL player, with Justin Fields atop the list. 

Steelers former QB Kenny Pickett ends his career in Pittsburgh after “Broken Promise” from Mike Tomlin

See why Pickett is no longer in Pittsburgh.