The Pittsburgh Steelers are moving on from QB Mitch Trubisky. According to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo. Trubisky and the team have “mutually agreed to part ways.”
With his pending and assumed release, he’ll get a jump on free agency that will open up just over one month from now.
Trubisky signed a two-year deal with the Steelers early in free agency of 2022. He served as the team’s starter for the first four games of the season before being benched at halftime of a Week Four loss against the New York Jets, giving way to the rookie Kenny Pickett.
Still, Pickett struggled to stay healthy, and Trubisky had multiple chances to play and start. That included a pair of starts in 2023 when Pickett went down with a high ankle sprain. But Trubisky struggled mightily, starting two of the Steelers’ three-game losing streak, and was benched for the team’s Week 16 game against the Cincinnati Bengals, replaced by Mason Rudolph. Trubisky’s biggest problems were costly turnovers and more risk management, making careless mistakes, and trusting his arm too much. He threw three interceptions in his two starts before being benched.
Mitch Trubisky had a pending $1 million roster bonus due in March that was likely to be declined. Now, the teams are just getting ahead of that decision. Trubisky signed a contract extension last summer, a deal that clearly didn’t pan out. As Dave Bryan notes, Trubisky was slated to earn $5.25 million in 2024. His release will save $2,943,332 million prior to roster displacement.
Over his two-year Steelers’ career, Trubisky appeared in 12 games, making seven starts. He completed 64.1 percent of his passes for 1,884 yards, eight touchdowns, and ten interceptions. Drafted by the Chicago Bears second overall in the 2017 NFL Draft, passing up the chance to select Patrick Mahomes, Trubisky spent a year with the Buffalo Bills before coming to Pittsburgh.
Pickett will return and enter the offseason as the Steelers’ starter, but it’s unclear who will compete with him. QB Mason Rudolph is a pending free agent, and if he signs elsewhere, the team will have to look for a veteran outside the organization. ESPN’s Adam Schefter speculated over a handful of names Monday afternoon, including Chicago’s Justin Fields, though it’s more likely to hone in on a cheaper free agent than a splash trade.
