Russell Wilson calls Justin Fields 'a franchise quarterback' and says there is no 'rivalry'

It would be easy to believe that there is an internal rivalry between Russell Wilson and Justin Fields behind the scenes in the Pittsburgh Steelers locker room. The media has been talking about this possibility for months, using the tried-and-true adage that having two quarterbacks means having none. The Steelers quickly disprove all the clichés.

“The situation we are in is enormous. I think there's a lot of outside noise that gives the impression that it's something negative and an internal rivalry. That’s not it,” Wilson said after the game, via the Steelers’ website. “We just want to win. That's what we're concentrating on. I mean, I have to give credit to Justin Fields, man, just everything he could do, how great he played. He inspires me every day with how he works and vice versa.

“We have a great relationship. He's a great quarterback. He is a franchise quarterback. He is a leader. He has all the intangibles and everything that I can give him and show him and just be around him, that’s part of my job.”

Obviously both quarterbacks are there to compete and want to start, but that doesn't mean it turns into a rivalry that is detrimental to the team. Fields more or less hand-selected the Steelers, knowing Wilson was on the roster and likely to be the starter. Back when Fields was drafted, he talked about the quarterbacks he watched as a kid and tried to emulate, and mentioned Wilson. They have been in touch over the years and had the beginnings of a relationship before joining the Steelers.

If you've watched almost any national sports broadcast over the past week, the vast majority of analysts and television personalities have been critical of the Wilson move. When the Steelers slowly started their offense, there were boos and Justin Fields shouts in the stadium. This may make it seem like there is a rivalry, but that seems far from the truth based on the words of Wilson today and Fields in the past.

Even TE Pat Freiermuth said there was no jealousy or resentment between Fields and Wilson. Mike Tomlin always had a good pulse on his team. He wouldn't have made that move if it would have blown up the locker room. This speaks to the maturity of both players and the team-first mentality they both represent.

Wilson is a decade older. The chances of him breaking up with the Steelers this year are not zero. As Wilson said and as Fields has shown in the first six weeks, his arrow as a future franchise quarterback is pointing upward. At 25 years old, the Steelers could have the best of both worlds with Wilson for this year and Fields for the future.