Steelers' urgency defined in complete overhaul at quarterback

You're hearing a lot of people say right now that these aren't your grandfather's Steelers. I'll even argue that these aren't your dad's Steelers, and, heck, these aren't even your Steelers.

In the span of roughly 30 hours, the Steelers formally introduced Russell Wilson in a press conference deserving of a starting quarterback, shipped Kenny Pickett off to Philadelphia and traded for Justin Fields in what could be yet another fleecing of the Bears (seriously, a fourth-round pick next year at the absolute most). This comes on the heels of two consecutive seasons in which the quarterback room consisted of Pickett, Mitch Trubisky and Mason Rudolph -- a group that combined for 25 touchdown passes over those two seasons.

Message sent. The Steelers way, as we know it, has changed.

Omar Khan has done everything within his power to address Art Rooney II's initial demand of the offseason. Way back in January, Rooney told select reporters, "We need to make sure we do everything we can to get quality play out of our quarterback position going forward." While Rooney went on to echo the same faith in Pickett that Mike Tomlin declared a couple weeks prior -- and the same faith that Khan reinforced a couple weeks ago at the Combine -- it's clear the Steelers' Holy Trinity had a change of heart.

Maybe that change came after Wilson was added to the quarterback room at a meager $1.21 million, the epitome of a bargain. Perhaps there's some merit to the reports that once there was any indication that Wilson would receive first team reps -- and that portion of reports only -- that Pickett wanted out, even if that meant a trade to the Eagles in which he'll sit far behind Jalen Hurts.

Or, maybe, as Khan continued to explore "every avenue" at improving the team, it became not only necessary but also very possible to upgrade the quarterback room, even if it came at the expense of ruffling the feathers of their 2022 first-round pick.

After all, remember these words from Rooney in January: "I think everybody, from myself to Mike to guys who've been on the team for a while -- T.J. (Watt), Cam (Heyward), everybody -- we've had enough of this. It’s time to get some wins. It’s time to take these next steps. I think there's some urgency here, for sure."

If you want wins in the NFL -- wins that truly matter, not preserving an overhyped streak of non-losing seasons -- get a quarterback. Nearly 75% of all Super Bowls have been won by teams with a quarterback that is already in the Hall of Fame or will undoubtedly be voted in. That's no accident or recent trend. It's been in the fabric of the game for a long time.

We'll certainly get a clearer picture of how and why all of this went down the way it did. Tomlin, Khan and Rooney will all address reporters during the NFL's annual meeting that's set to take place March 24-27. I, for one, cannot wait to sit at that table with Tomlin at the Ritz-Carlton in Orlando and listen to his perspective and role in this overhaul.

In the meantime, take time to appreciate the changing of the standard. Fans like to take Tomlin's most repeated Tomlinism, "The standard is the standard," and use it as a jab at one measly playoff win in the past eight seasons. But, the moves that have been made over the past week signal a drastic shift in the way the Steelers do business.

Trading Pickett after just two seasons is a sign that the team is now willing to correct their mistakes instead of stubbornly sticking with the status quo, hoping that doing the same thing over and over will produce different results. Heck, this might be Matt Canada's most positive and most lasting impact. Maybe sticking with Canada for far too long, just because they were admittedly afraid of change, is the kick in the pants they needed to say, "We're not doing anything like that again."

In signing Wilson and trading for Fields, it's clear the Steelers need and demand more out of every position, including the sport's most important. Pickett may have had a high floor, but Wilson and Fields are more likely to provide a bigger spark on offense.

With Wilson, he immediately gives the Steelers the ability to test defenses vertically:

So does Fields:

Wilson gives the Steelers a quarterback that can make impressive throws outside more often:

And though he's not nearly as accomplished, Fields can do it, too:

Wilson's going to be the starter for the Steelers, which doesn't come as much of a surprise. He's on track to gain serious consideration for the Hall of Fame, and can further solidify those arguments with a few solid seasons to close out his career. And while he's not quite the same Russell Wilson that dazzled fans in Seattle, he's a decent fit in this offense and he's still got enough left in the tank to pull off the occasional eye-popping play:

As for Fields, he comes with virtually no risk but every bit of a high reward. The Steelers gave up a conditional sixth-round pick in next year's draft to acquire him, and that pick turns into at most a fourth-round pick should Fields play enough to meet the agreed upon terms. They don't have to pick up his hefty fifth-year option if they don't want to. Even if Fields' stay in Pittsburgh lasts one season, Khan made sure that the guy who could fill in for Wilson has a better chance to move the needle on offense.

No, Fields isn't a finished product. 41 turnovers (30 interceptions, 11 lost fumbles) in three NFL seasons is a serious head-shaker. But, while Pickett got better and better at protecting the football, he never showed the ability to do anything remotely close to this:

These are the types of plays that potential superstars make. No other explanation for them. Guys who can make special things happen outside the structure of the offense are the ones that stand a better chance of making a difference in today's NFL. That's why Patrick Mahomes is so special. Not only does he execute the offensive scheme at a high level, he takes everything Kansas City does into the stratosphere with the ability to make plays only he can make. So, yes, having guys that can play Superman every now and then makes a big difference.

This isn't a shot at Pickett. He has enough tools to become a quality quarterback in this league. But, it's clear the Steelers didn't see enough progress in his game to make patience a virtue. It's clear that 25 games was a large enough sample size for Tomlin, Khan and Rooney to determine that Pickett didn't have that Superman quality. If he did, the Steelers wouldn't have had to bring in Wilson in the first place.

Good on this franchise for deciding to change the way they do things. Even if every move isn't a home run, Khan's overall approach signals a clear, aggressive desire to make this team better and ultimately compete for a chance to add a seventh Lombardi to the trophy case on South Water Street. The decisions at quarterback this week epitomize that.