Mitch Trubisky had a quality season backing up Josh Allen for the Buffalo Bills in 2021, which led to him becoming a sought-after free agent and eventually signing with the Pittsburgh Steelers. While his two years in Pittsburgh did not go as planned, with the team mutually parting ways with him yesterday, Sports Illutrated’s Albert Breer believes that Trubisky should return to the Bills.
“Mitch Trubisky going back to Buffalo would make all the sense in the world. He had a really nice year there in 2021, to the point where Brian Daboll seriously considered taking the quarterback to the New York Giants with him. And while the Bills were happy to have Josh Allen’s buddy Kyle Allen there last year, Trubisky would help to upgrade the room,” Breer wrote in his Tuesday notebook.
After his last stint with Buffalo, Trubisky was a legitimate option for quarterback-needy teams, including the Steelers, and he made over $14 million over his last two seasons in Pittsburgh. This offseason, the demand isn’t going to be as strong, as Trubisky largely struggled in 12 appearances and seven starts. The Bills are set at quarterback with Josh Allen, but they may want someone with starting experience as a backup. Trubisky is familiar with the culture and the area, and while his offensive coordinator would be different if he does sign with the Bills, he would likely have the opportunity to be their No. 2.
I can’t see a lot of teams clamoring for Trubisky’s services this offseason, but he’s the type of quarterback where you sort of know what you’re going to get. For a team like Buffalo that has weapons, a good run game and a solid defense, Trubisky could do enough to win games if needed as a backup. He’s not a bad option for teams that want to upgrade their quarterback room with a veteran backup, but unlike his free-agency stint ahead of 2022, no one is mistaking Trubisky as a starting-caliber quarterback at this point.
Buffalo makes sense, and the New York Giants could be an option too with Daboll’s apparent affinity for Trubisky. The Giants will have Daniel Jones back and healthy next season along with Tommy DeVito, but Tyrod Taylor’s contract is due to void, so Trubisky could be another option for the room depending on how the Giants feel about DeVito. At this point, Trubisky can probably find somewhere to be the No. 2 quarterback, so he might not want to go somewhere where he’d have to compete for that job and risk being the third quarterback.
More options will likely arise for Trubisky as teams figure out their quarterback situations, but this foray into free agency will be much more similar to his first one after his stint with the Chicago Bears where he knows he’s going to have to accept a backup role.
