Ex-Steelers LB Compares Justin Fields’ Situation to Jerome Bettis’ in 1996

The Pittsburgh Steelers’ trade for running back Jerome Bettis in 1996 is the best trade in franchise history, without a doubt. The Steelers acquired Bettis from the St. Louis Rams, along with a third-round draft pick, in exchange for a second-round pick and a fourth-round pick.

Bettis recorded 10,571 yards rushing with the Steelers from 1996-2005 and concluded his career as a Super Bowl champion in his hometown of Detroit. The 2005 Super Bowl run was one of the most remarkable stories in franchise history. Pittsburgh won their final eight games and became the first team in NFL history to win a Super Bowl as a sixth seed.

Bettis, also known as “The Bus” by Steelers Nation, was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2015.

Equaling the Bettis’ trade is a tall task, but former Steelers linebacker Levon Kirkland thinks Justin Fields could renew his career in Pittsburgh. Just like Bettis did in 1996.

“I think you bring in Justin Fields, it renews his career. Think about Jerome Bettis. Everybody was, before Jerome Bettis got to [the Steelers], everybody said Jerome Bettis was a bust at the Rams. They said that he was a bust,” Kirkland said on the What’s Really Good Podcast Friday. “Now, I played against Jerome Bettis; I knew better. I’m like, I couldn’t believe that we got him for a fourth-round pick. Jerome Bettis. He comes to Pittsburgh and it’s the offense that he needs, it works out for him, he ends up being this incredible player. But people don’t realize his first couple years, the Rams, who were a bad organization, thought he was a bust. The head coach thought that Jerome Bettis could not get it done. We, at the Pittsburgh Steelers, we scooped him up and he ends up running for all these yards, he ends up getting a Super Bowl, being one of the most historic players in Pittsburgh. I’m not saying that that can happen to Justin Fields, but boy, the stories are similar.”

Fields had two head coaches and three different offensive coordinators in his three years in the Windy City. That’s an incredibly tough environment for a young quarterback to develop and grow in.

Jason Goff of NBC Sports Chicago thinks Fields wasn’t perfect in the situation, but he was dealt an extremely bad hand.

“He was part of the problem. I think Justin Fields got caught up in the worst wasteland you can have to develop a quarterback,” Goff said on Bomani Jones’ podcast The Right Time with Bomani Jones. “Matt Nagy’s on his way out, he wants to play Andy Dalton. He throws him in his first game and says, ‘Here play football.’ And then he gets sacked nine times by Myles Garrett and Jadeveon Clowney and that Cleveland Browns defense. That’s his introduction to it.

“Second year, (general manager) Ryan Poles comes in, ‘Hey, I got to tear this down, I want to build a different way.’ The youngest roster by far in the league. He’s throwing to special teamers. But also, he’s doing things that I didn’t expect him to do, like take off and run as often as he did. Is it all on Justin Fields? A sizeable portion of it is. But, I’m not one of these people that think that this wasn’t one of the worst situations you could drop quarterback in.”

Fields took a small step forward in 2023, his third year as Chicago’s starting quarterback. The Ohio State alum threw 370 times, completing 227 for 2,562 yards and 16 touchdowns. He threw nine interceptions and maintained an 86.3 passer rating and a 5.29 adjusted net yards per attempt.

In 2022, he was 192 of 318 for 2,242 yards, 17 touchdowns and 11 interceptions, an 85.2 quarterback rating and 4.63 adjusted net yards per attempt.

Since 2022, Fields has the most rushing yards by a quarterback with 1,800 yards and 6.3 yards per carry. Both figures are higher than Lamar Jackson’s.