Despite getting replaced as the Pittsburgh Steelers’ starting quarterback midseason, it seems Mitch Trubisky was nothing but helpful for his successor Kenny Pickett.
In the recent Footbahlin podcast with Ben Roethlisberger, Pickett spoke about the relationship and how Trubisky helped him last season.
“Yeah, man, he was like an extra coach for me, honestly,” Pickett said. “Being in the league for how long he has been in it, being able to ask him questions and like be like, ‘Hey, where do you start with your eyes here? In your experience with this concept, like how does this work for you? Do you like it, do you not like it?’ When you’re starting to gameplan, he knows other teams. He’s been around these defensive coordinators a decent amount of time. He was awesome, man.”
Going into the season, Trubisky was vocal that when signing with the Steelers, he didn’t know the team would be selecting a quarterback with their first pick in the 2022 NFL draft. Just four weeks into the season, Pickett replaced Trubisky in the second half of Pittsburgh’s game against the Jets. The Pitt product did not look back, starting the rest of the games throughout the season.
Trubisky has been lauded for his role as a backup quarterback during his time with the Bills. The Bills’ superstar quarterback Josh Allen and their general manager both praised the former top pick’s ability and presence while with the team. It seems Pickett had a similar feeling this past year. It’s all the more commendable knowing Trubisky lost his job to Pickett but still mentored him the rest of the way.
Pickett also mentioned Mason Rudolph as a positive influence during his rookie season as well as Quarterbacks Coach Mike Sullivan saying that the entire position room acted as a “sounding board” for him.
Despite many fans calling for the Steelers to potentially trade Trubisky and Rudolph, the team instead locked up both for the foreseeable future with Trubisky signing a two-year extension and Rudolph re-signing on a one-year deal.
Trubisky ended last season with a 2-3 record while throwing for 1,252 yards, four touchdowns, and five interceptions. Rudolph did not play.
Follow the link below for the interview with Pickett and Big Ben.
