When quarterback Mitch Trubisky signed a two-year, $14.2 million contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers on March 14, 2022, he became the immediate front-runner in the competition to replace Ben Roethlisberger — ahead of veteran backup Mason Rudolph and former Washington 1st-round pick Dwayne Haskins. At the time, it looked like the Steelers offered him one of the best opportunities to regain his hold on a starting job, having been a starter for the better part of four seasons in Chicago. But a month-and-a-half later, Trubisky’s extended-term prospects changed dramatically, when the Steelers selected Kenny Pickett in the first round of the 2022 draft.
Mitch Trubisky Shares 1 Regret
Fast-forward to today and Trubisky says he has regrets about how he handled free agency in March 2022.
“Everything happened kind of quick,” Trubisky recently told Brooke Pryor of ESPN. “I didn’t really have a long time to think of the decision. I wish I would’ve taken some more time and not just signed the first day of free agency.”
What might he have done differently?
“Looking back on it, just try to do some more research. But I felt like they were interested. I felt like it was a good opportunity to possibly get back on the field, but nothing’s guaranteed,” admitted the former No. 2 overall pick (2017).
Never mind that Trubisky was essentially handed the job as opening-day starter, with Mason Rudolph never getting much of an opportunity to beat him out and head coach Mike Tomlin seemingly content to have Pickett start the 2022 season as the backup. (Dwayne Haskins was killed in a tragic motor vehicle accident in mid-May).
But Pittsburgh’s offense sputtered when the regular-season got underway, leaving Trubisky “on thin ice” three weeks in to the regular season, with the Steelers sitting at 1-2 and Trubisky having thrown just two touchdown passes.
So it wasn’t necessarily a surprise when Tomlin elected to make the switch to Pickett at halftime of Pittsburgh’s Week 4 game against the Jets, a change that was reportedly made in the the wake of Trubisky’s “heated exchange” with Steelers wide receiver Diontae Johnson. Predictably, Trubisky wasn’t pleased about getting pulled, knowing that he would be hard-pressed to get his job back.
Indeed he has played in just three games since (with one start), with all three appearances coming after Pickett suffered a pair of concussions, one in Week 6 against Tampa Bay and one in Week 14 against Baltimore.
Trubisky is Under Contract for 1 More Season
That said, it’s possible that Trubisky has already appeared in his last game for the Steelers, this despite the fact that he is under contract with Pittsburgh thought the 2023 season. Trubisky is scheduled to earn an $8 million salary in 2023, as per overthecap.com, but the Steelers can save the $8 million by trading or releasing him, which would result in a relatively modest $2.625 million dead money cap charge.
That’s one reason there could be “another major shakeup” at QB in Pittsburgh in 2023 — the other being that former 3rd-round pick Mason Rudolph is a pending unrestricted free agent and likely wants to go elsewhere after being inactive for all but one game this season.
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Steelers QB Mitch Trubisky Looks Back on Free Agency, Shares Biggest Regret