Video: George Pickens Says Russell Wilson is Steelers QB1 over Justin Fields vs. Jets

George Pickens may have let the cat out of the bag.

After Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin told reporters Friday he decided who the starting quarterback will be for Sunday's game against the New York Jets but was keeping the decision "in-house," Pickens said he has been working more with Russell Wilson "because this is his first start" over Justin Fields.

Pickens has already been under the spotlight this season, as he was fined for an explicit message he wore on his eye black during a game against the Dallas Cowboys that saw him play reduced snaps.

What's more, Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported "Pickens has shown up late for work on multiple occasions this season."

Tomlin surely won't be thrilled that his decision he was hoping to keep secret ahead of a key AFC showdown was essentially spilled by the team's No. 1 wide receiver.

Still, things seemed to be trending in this direction, as NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported Tuesday that Wilson was "in line" to start as he received first-team practice reps with the calf injury that sidelined him to start the season now "fully healed."

Had Wilson been healthy at the start of the season, there would have been zero surprises if Tomlin named him the No. 1 quarterback ahead of Fields.

After all, the veteran is a nine-time Pro Bowler with a Super Bowl title on his resume. Even though he struggled with the Denver Broncos with an 11-19 record as a starter the last two seasons, he is still far more accomplished than Fields.

However, Fields changed the conversation some by going 4-2 in the first six games of the year.

He has completed a career-best 66.3 percent of his passes for 1,106 yards, five touchdowns and just one interception all while adding 231 yards and five scores on the ground as a runner. That mobility is something the 35-year-old Wilson cannot bring to the table anymore at this stage of his career, and it gave the Steelers another dimension.

Yet Fields remained humble and told reporters Thursday, "I don't think I played good enough, if I'm being real with you. If I'm being real with myself, I think if I did play well enough, I don't think there would be any sort of who should be playing, who should not."

Alas, it seems as if Tomlin is going to make the switch to Wilson as Pittsburgh looks to parlay its quick start to the campaign into a potential playoff push with the veteran under center.