They were never meant to be teammates. Russell Wilson, a standout quarterback for the Wisconsin Badgers in 2011, and Justin Fields, who led the Ohio State Buckeyes nearly a decade later, hailed from programs with a deep-seated Big Ten rivalry. While their collegiate careers didn’t overlap, the legacy of their respective schools set the stage for an anticipated professional rivalry. Wilson’s tenure at Wisconsin was marked by a 10–3 record and a Rose Bowl appearance, while Fields’ time at Ohio State included a 20–2 record as a starter and a College Football Playoff berth. Their paths seemed destined to cross competitively, not collaboratively. And yet, somehow, they ended up on the same sideline.

In March 2024, Pittsburgh signed Wilson to a one-year deal. Just days later, they traded for Fields—effectively putting two former starters with very different reputations into the same quarterback room. The narrative seemed scripted: the seasoned veteran and the young challenger vying for the starting role. Wilson, fresh from a stint with the Denver Broncos, while Fields, after a tumultuous tenure with the Chicago Bears, was traded to Pittsburgh, seeking a fresh start. The stage was set for a quarterback showdown until it turned into a mutual admiration.

The anticipated rivalry took an unexpected turn when Fields admitted his long admiration for Wilson, despite losing his starting job to the veteran. “He’s been a great teammate to me. A great mentor to me. It’s awesome to have a guy like Russell in the room, and me get to learn from him,” Fields said. Almost a year later, after Fields openly spoke about Wilson’s role in his development, the 36-year-old has finally opened up about their dynamic relationship that traces back to their college football days.

On May 29, Wilson stopped by 7PM in Brooklyn with Carmelo Anthony, where Wilson talked about his time with Fields way before joining the Steelers. “Justin is my guy,” Wilson explained. “I’ve been able to connect with Justin since he was at Ohio State, which is hard for me to say because I went to Wisconsin… But I mean, I have gotten to know him way back in the day.” Noted.

When Wilson joked about it being “hard” for him to connect with Fields during his collegiate career, he wasn’t just being playful. The rivalry between their alma maters is well-established. Ohio State leads the series 63–18–5 and hasn’t lost to Wisconsin since 2010. Wilson’s lone season in Madison in 2011 didn’t include a win over the Buckeyes, but it elevated Wisconsin to national relevance. Though Ohio State and Wisconsin have faced each other regularly, Wilson and Fields played nearly a decade apart. It never overlapped—the Buckeyes’ 2011 win over Wilson came eight years before Fields arrived in Columbus.

However, things changed as the years passed. The Steelers planned to develop Fields behind Wilson during the last season. But Wilson’s calf injury came out of nowhere, and Fields had to step up to lead the Steelers. The guy gave a 4-2 start in his first six weeks, but that wasn’t enough for Mike Tomlin to name him the team’s starter. Even though Wilson struggled during the final leg of the 2024 regular season, the Steelers resisted naming Fields QB1.

Once the season wrapped up, Wilson adhered to staying in Pittsburgh, and Fields was… well, silent. Most of the time. Now that both of ’em are in New York, Russell Wilson believes that Justin Fields is a young stud and is going to be a great player. “Obviously, sharing the same room, just to be a mentor for him and to be able to connect, I’m always rooting for him. He’s gonna be a great player for sure. He’s a young stud.”

Speaking of which, as Fields is gearing up to start for his third team, the quarterback believes that New York is going to be good for him.

Justin Fields is looking forward to being ‘great’

After a couple of underwhelming seasons, the Jets took a moment to address their roster woes. The organization made a few changes to its roster, and so did to their coaching staff. From the arrival of Justin Fields in the QB room and receiver Josh Reynolds, to head coach Aaron Glenn and offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand, and defensive coordinator Steve Wilks, you name it.

But despite these changes in the team, Fields has high hopes for his first year with the Jets, believing that it’s going to be their year. Fields interacted with the reporters during the team’s OTAs on Thursday and shed light on his hopes and expectations for the team. “I think I can be great,” he said. “That’s been the goal for me my whole life, my whole career. I think the sky’s the limit for this team, this offense, but we do have a long way to go.”

Entering the Jets’ locker room on a two-year $40 million deal, Fields will take the place of the four-time MVP, Aaron Rodgers, as the team decided to part ways with him. Under Rodgers’ leadership last season, the Jets ranked 24th in the NFL in scoring offense and 20th in points allowed. So yeah, safe to say, Fields and Glenn will start from scratch.

We’ll see if Fields would be able to turn the tables in New York this time, or he’d be the next victim of the Jets’ QB curse. Plain and simple.