INDIANAPOLIS — Quarterbacks dominated the conversation Tuesday on the first day of the NFL Combine, and most of the talk had little to do with the incoming class of passing prospects.

The future of two quarterbacks loosely connected to the Pittsburgh Steelers — Chicago’s Justin Fields and Denver’s Russell Wilson — were at the epicenter of discussions when select general managers and coaches met with the media at the Indiana Convention Center.

With the Bears holding the No. 1 overall pick and contemplating a future that involves drafting former Southern Cal passer Caleb Williams, Fields may be on the trade market, with the Steelers being linked as one of the landing spots.

The Broncos seem destined to move on from Wilson after two turbulent seasons in Denver and despite owing him a guaranteed $39 million in 2024 while facing a $85 million hit in “dead money” to the salary cap. The Steelers, who have only third-year quarterback Kenny Pickett signed for this season, would be in the market for a veteran if they don’t retain free agent Mason Rudolph.

Bears general manager Ryan Poles acknowledged Tuesday that he may be inclined to move Fields before the start of free agency March 13 rather than wait until the draft in late April. Fields is entering his fourth season and is 10-28 as a starter, going 5-8 in 2023.

Poles said his phone “won’t stop ringing” with teams interested in seeing what compensation the Bears are seeking for Fields.

“If we went down that road, I want to do right by Justin as well,” Poles said. “No one wants to live in the grey. I know that’s uncomfortable. I wouldn’t want to be in that situation, either. We’ll gather the information; we’ll move as quickly as possible.”

Wilson said earlier in the week on a podcast that he would like to remain in Denver, which traded for him 23 months ago and signed him to a five-year, $242.5 million contract extension that now is a noose around the organization’s neck.

If Wilson is released, he could sign with any team for the NFL veteran minimum.

After spending one season in Denver as Wilson’s coach, Sean Payton seemed resigned to an upcoming divorce with the nine-time Pro Bowl passer. He talked about seeing a social media meme of a Broncos fan wearing a T-shirt with the names of eight former quarterbacks crossed off.

“Our job is to make sure that this next one doesn’t have a line through it,” Payton said.

If he becomes a free agent, Wilson will join a free-agent group that includes Kirk Cousins, Ryan Tannehill and Baker Mayfield.

Cousins has spent the past six seasons in Minnesota. He played eight games last season before finishing it on injured reserve.

“We have our interests, he has his,” Vikings GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah said. “We’ll get to the table to see if we can figure out a creative solution and kind of meeting in the middle.”

In his first season with the Buccaneers, Mayfield started all 17 games and led Tampa Bay to a playoff victory against Philadelphia. GM Jason Licht called it a “perfect marriage” and said he’s trying to keep Mayfield from testing the market again.

Adding to the quarterback movement is a draft class that could have as many as six passers taken in the first round, including three in the top five. This after a year in which quarterbacks went 1-2 and three of the top four overall picks.

“It can be a veteran, it can be a young player,” Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot said of the quarterbacks on his team’s radar. “The cool thing about this year is there are lot of good options in all areas. There are good options regarding veterans, UFAs, possible trades, the draft.

“The critical part is getting it right.”

Which, of course, also is the difficult part.

Consider that in 2017, the Chicago Bears took Mitch Trubisky with the No. 2 overall pick, passing on Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson. Or that the New York Jets selected Sam Darnold instead of Josh Allen or Lamar Jackson in 2018.

“You have to have a great leader, and he better be resilient,” said Bears coach Matt Eberflus, who will be starting over at quarterback if Fields is traded. “You better be able to handle the criticism and obviously have the physical traits. Accuracy, the timing, all the things you talk about and being a winner — that is what it comes down to.”

For the Steelers, they thought the answer in 2022 was Pickett, the only quarterback selected in the first round that year. Two years later, they aren’t exactly giving up on Pickett, but coach Mike Tomlin said competition for the starting job will be provided in training camp.

In the 2022 draft, the Falcons used their third-round pick on Desmond Ridder. His struggles in 15 games and 13 starts last year — he had as many interceptions (12) as touchdown passes — has Atlanta already searching for a successor.

That sudden turn of events isn’t lost on new head coach Raheem Morris, who replaced Arthur Smith, now the Steelers offensive coordinator, after a third consecutive 7-10 finish.

“If we had better quarterback play,” Morris said as he addressed the media, “I may not be standing at this podium.”

Joe Rutter is a TribLive reporter who has covered the Pittsburgh Steelers since the 2016 season. A graduate of Greensburg Salem High School and Point Park, he is in his fifth decade covering sports for the Trib. He can be reached at jrutter@triblive.com.