Eakin Howard/Getty Images Mitch Trubisky of the Pittsburgh Steelers walks off the field after defeating the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium on December 18, 2022.
The Pittsburgh Steelers don’t necessarily want to trade backup quarterback Mitch Trubisky. So says longtime Steelers insider Gerry Dulac in his 2/22/23 chat for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
“… The only way they are trading him is they want to reduce his $8M salary and he refuses and asks to be traded or released,” offers Dulac. In that case, the Steelers could get “probably not more than a third round (pick), likely a fourth,” he adds.
The Steelers Can Save $8 Million by Parting Ways With Trubisky
Of course, a proposed pay cut seems likely. It’s almost inconceivable that the Steelers would be willing to pay a backup quarterback $8 million, especially when his release would trigger a mere $2.625 million dead cap charge, according to overthecap.com.
And Trubisky might very well want out of Pittsburgh, seeing as how he lost his job just three-and-a-half weeks in to the 2022 season, unceremoniously yanked at halftime of the team’s Week 4 loss against the New York Jets.
The Athletic’s Mark Kaboly recently noted that Trubisky “seemed miserable” last season, and believes the former No. 2 overall pick could play the “hostage” card, and force his way out of town, much like linebacker Melvin Ingram and cornerback Steven Nelson did in 2021. Keep in mind that in Jan. 2023, Trubisky told Brooke Pryor of ESPN that he regrets how he handled free agency last year and wishes he spent more time deliberating before signing with the Steelers.
“Sounds like the Steelers want Mitch back, likely at a pay cut, but does he even want to be here? Steelers don’t want hostages and the way he was treated, I don’t know why he’d want to stay other than to collect a hefty pay check to carry a clipboard,” wrote Post-Gazette reader BPOS, succinctly summing up the situation.
“A good part of what you say is true,” answered Dulac, who firmly believes that Trubisky has some trade value, owing to the number of teams that have question marks at the quarterback position.
At another point in the chat, Dulac was asked whether Trubisky could realistically bring back a 5th-round pick in a trade.
“I’m sure someone would, based on the QB play I saw around the league this season. Doesn’t mean the Steelers would make the deal,” he added, this despite the fact that Trubisky struggled last season, completing 65% of his passes but throwing just four touchdown passes against five interceptions, according to Pro Football Reference.
The Steelers could use additional draft capital this year, especially in the middle rounds, as the team is without picks in rounds five and six. Pittsburgh currently has seven selections in the 2023 draft, including a pair of 2nd-rounders and a pair of 7th-rounders.
Steelers Re-Sign Long Snapper Christian Kuntz: Report
Meanwhile, on Wednesday Feb. 22, 2023, the Steelers signed long snapper Christian Kuntz to a one-year contract, this according to Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network.
#Steelers signed Christian Kuntz to one year deal
Kuntz, 28, has served as Pittsburgh’s long snapper for the past two seasons, having won the job in a “down to the wire” training camp battle with Kameron Canaday in the summer of 2021.
According to overthecap.com, Kuntz is slated to earn a $940,000 in 2023 and count the same amount against the team’s salary cap.