Who is more likely to be back in 2024 after being demoted: QB Mitch Trubisky or T Chukwuma Okorafor?
It’s funny how there is a correlation between people who lose their roles and people who express signing regrets. That has been the case for the two players in question today. QB Mitch Trubisky admitted before the 2023 season that he regretted not taking more time during his free agency. This was after he lost the starting job. And of course he lost the backup job this past season.
Likewise, veteran starting RT Chukwuma Okorafor lost his job in the middle of the 2023 season. He said after the season was over that he probably wouldn’t have re-signed with the Steelers in 2022 if he’d known that would happen.
Well, they both made their beds and they’re both lying in them. For now. And it will be up to the Steelers to determine whether those beds remain occupied or not. Both of them are making a lot more money than backups tend to at their respective positions.
Okorafor is due $8.75 million in 2024, the final year of his contract, of which $4 million is a roster bonus. Trubisky is owed $5.25 million with a $1 million roster bonus. He is also under contract for the 2025 season, but with no new guaranteed money.
As it stands, Mason Rudolph is a free agent. It is yet to be seen if the Steelers manage to re-sign him. If they fail to, then Trubisky staying makes a lot more sense. As for Okorafor, if they move Broderick Jones to left tackle, then you don’t have a right tackle. I don’t think the coaches will bank on Dan Moore Jr. being able to play there.
In other words, Trubisky could be the backup again in 2024 and Okorafor could return to the starting lineup. Both of these are hypothetically plausible, even if unpopular. And there are always things the Steelers can do to lower cap hits. Maybe they’ll even approach the players about pay cuts. It could be better for them than the alternative.
The Steelers’ 2023 season has been put out of its misery, ending as so many have before in recent years: a disappointing, blowout playoff loss. The only change-up lately is when they miss the playoffs altogether. But with the Buffalo Bills stamping them out in the Wildcard Round, they have another long offseason to look forward to.
The biggest question hanging over the team is the quarterback question. Is Kenny Pickett the guy? Will he get another season’s reprieve without a serious challenge? How will the team address the depth chart? Do they re-sign Mason Rudolph, one of few significant unrestricted free agents?
The Steelers are swirling with more questions this offseason than usual, frankly, though the major free agent list is less substantial than usual. It’s just a matter of…what happens next? Where do they go from here? How do they find the way forward?
