No one will be able to accuse Pittsburgh Steelers general manager Omar Khan of not being honest.
During an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show on May 18, host Pat McAfee asked the Steelers general manager what negotiation he was currently working on.
After what appeared to be a short hesitation, Khan provided a rather forthright answer.
“To be candid with you, we’re finishing up an extension with Mitch Trubisky,” Khan said. “We feel good about our QB room. So that was an important piece.
“Kenny Pickett is our starter, and we feel really good about Mitch Trubisky in the role he’s in, and he feels good about it. We’ve added Mason Rudolph. We’re really excited about that QB room.
“We’re working on that so that will be done here shortly.”
BREAKING: “We’re finishing up an extension with Mitch Trubisky and that will be done here shortly” ~ Omar Khan
Khan revealing the fact the Steelers are “finishing up” on a contract extension for Trubisky comes a couple months after he said he wanted to keep the veteran quarterback in Pittsburgh “for a long time.”
Steelers Reportedly Lower Cap Hit for QB Mitch Trubisky With Extension
Khan did not discuss the specifics of the new contract the Steelers are apparently close to agreeing to with Trubisky. But NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport had more details.
Rapoport reported the extension will be for two seasons and will lower the veteran’s cap hit for the 2023 season. Under his previous deal, Trubisky was set to have a $10.625 million cap hit.
With the $10.625 million cap hit, the Steelers were paying Trubisky to be the 15th-most expensive quarterback in the NFL this season. But with rookie Kenny Pickett set to enter training camp as the team’s starter, Trubisky’s contract made him the most expensive backup in the league.
It’s not yet clear how much lower Trubisky’s cap hit will be this fall, but an extension means the Steelers have opened up additional salary cap space for 2023. In return, the quarterback gets another two years of security with his current organization.
In seven games with the Steelers, Trubisky completed 65% of his passes for 1,252 yards with 4 touchdowns and 5 interceptions. He averaged 7 yards per attempt and posted a 2-3 record as a starter.
Steelers’ QB Room Set With Contracts for Trubisky, Mason Rudolph
On May 15, the Steelers reportedly brought back veteran Mason Rudolph on a one-year contract. That led to some speculation that Khan could look to trade Trubisky in order to dump his expensive backup salary and slide Rudolph into the backup role.
But in February, Khan said he looked “forward to having him [Trubisky] around here for a long time.” In the same interview, Khan also said “the door is still open” to Rudolph returning.
The Steelers general manager made both of those wishes come to fruition in the matter of four days.
Pittsburgh will enter this season with three different quarterbacks who not only have starting experience, but have each made at least five starts in a Steelers uniform.
Rudolph dressed for just one game last season, but he made at least one start the three prior seasons. He owns a 5-4-1 record as a starter.
Pittsburgh fans will be hoping Pickett stays healthy, which would mean not seeing either Trubisky or Rudolph play significant snaps. But both Trubisky and Rudoph have proven to be serviceable when needed.
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Steelers Make Final Decision on QB Mitch Trubisky’s Future