Justin Fields sought a trade to the Pittsburgh Steelers long before they signed veteran quarterback Russell Wilson.

Fields’ opinion hasn’t wavered even though it means — for the foreseeable future — he’ll be backing up a nine-time Pro Bowl selection and former Super Bowl-winning passer.

Fields got his wish March 16 when Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles traded the team’s former first-round draft pick and 38-game starter over the previous three seasons to the Steelers, who had agreed to a one-year contract with Wilson just a few days earlier.

“I told him where I wanted to be, and this was a place I wanted to be,” Fields said Tuesday when he made his first public comments since the trade. “He honored that, and I appreciate him for that and I’m glad he was able to put me in a spot where I wanted to be at.”

It’s a spot, however, that doesn’t come with guaranteed playing time. Coach Mike Tomlin awarded Wilson the “pole position” in the offseason, and the former Seattle and Denver quarterback took first-team snaps on the first day of organized team activities.

Fields, though, doesn’t subscribe to the notion he’ll be second string forever.

“I’m definitely competing,” Fields said after the two-hour workout. “I think Russ knows that. We’re competing against each other every day. Him being out there for me helps me get better, us pushing each other so I definitely don’t have the mindset of me just sitting all year.

“I’m coming in every day giving it all I’ve got and pushing him to be his best, and he’s pushing me to be my best each and every day. I appreciate that.”

Fields joins a collection of quarterbacks that looks radically different from the ones on the roster in January when the Steelers lost their wild-card game at Buffalo. Gone are Kenny Pickett, Mitch Trubisky and Mason Rudolph. Replacing them are Wilson and Fields, with Kyle Allen occupying the third spot.

“They’re professionals,” Tomlin said. “There is an expectation there. Both guys have been franchise-like guys, if you will. They’ve gotten out of their cars in the morning and worn the responsibility of being that guy for a franchise. There is a residual benefit from that. I’m excited about us receiving it.”

Fields went 10-28 as a starter in his three seasons with the Bears and became expendable with Chicago holding the No. 1 overall draft pick, which they used in April to select former Southern Cal quarterback Caleb Williams. Fields identified the Steelers as a potential landing spot because of Tomlin.

“I just feel the energy and the consistency throughout the years and the culture that Coach T has and the standard that the Steelers have set, this organization has set,” he said. “I think that was the biggest appeal for me.”

No matter that the Steelers had Wilson in the fold and that it wasn’t until the Steelers traded Pickett to Philadelphia that they were able to acquire Fields.

“I wanted to come here before Russ got here and after, too,” Fields said. “It was more so the team, not worried about who was here, none of that.”

Wilson also is looking for a fresh start after his two seasons in Denver during which he went 11-19 as a starter.

“I’m not scalded,” Wilson said, repeating a term Tomlin used to describe the quarterback’s demeanor. “If anything, I’ve learned a lot. Internally, you get better, you get tougher. Use your experiences and challenges to be the best version of you. I don’t blink.”

Like Wilson, Fields is on a one-year contract with the Steelers, who declined to exercise his fifth-year option. Fields might lack Wilson’s experience, but he is 10 years younger and has the running capabilities that Tomlin has coveted in a quarterback since Ben Roethlisberger’s retirement.

“I’ve just got to keep working every day,” Fields said. “It’s just being detailed in every drill, not taking a day off and having Russ here, learning from him, us pushing each other every day. I think it’s controlling what I can control each time I step on the field, just ball out and play to the best of my abilities.”

Tomlin will use the 10 scheduled OTA sessions, the three-day minicamp, training camp and the preseason to evaluate Fields and see whether he can be more than a backup quarterback for the Steelers this season.

“We will see,” Tomlin said. “Some of those questions will be revealed over time.”

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