Steelers All 90: Mitch Trubisky Embracing Life as Backup

A year after signing with the Pittsburgh Steelers, quarterback Mitch Trubisky is embracing a role that he did not intend to serve when signing with the team last March. Trubisky orignially signed a performance enhanced contract with the Steelers but failed to hit any of the necessary targets in his first year in Pittsburgh and effectively lost his starting job to Kenny Pickett.

Trubisky accepted the fact that he would no longer be in an “open competition” for the starting job and is ready to embrace his role as the back up to the second-year Pickett after signing an extension with the Steelers last month.

“It’s the family atmosphere, it’s the teammates, it’s the people,” Trubisky said. “It’s just a great fit for me and my family. We just loved everything about it. I love Coach T, Omar [Khan], Mr. Rooney and his family. It’s just a special place to be a part of.”

After the overtime win in Week 1, Trubisky led the team to two straight losses in which he recorded only 375 passing yards and one touchdown through the two game stretch. This led to a short leash for Trubisky in his fourth game and after a slow start, Tomlin decided to get the rookie into the game.

Afterwards, Trubisky committed to helping Pickett in anyway that he could last season which led to a better connection and genuine friendship between the two quarterbacks.

“We’re going to have a lot of fun and we’re going to get to work. Anything I can be for Kenny: a soundboard, an extra coach, extra eyes on the field, I’m going to be there for him and he knows that. I think that’s also why they wanted to have me back, to have me in that role and help any way that I can,” said Trubisky.

The friendship of the two Steelers quarterbacks goes beyond the field of play as their wives share a deep friendship too.

“We both have personalities. We just get along with each other. We’re friends inside the building and off the field. We hang out all the time. [My] wife and his fiancee are close. It’s just a great dynamic on this team. When you have that chemistry, the honest conversations are easier to have. We just go in there and be ourselves,” explained Trubisky.

The career 55-game starter is now “excited” to help prepare his friend and teammate, Pickett, for the season ahead.

10 • Mitch Trubisky, Quarterback, North Carolina
6-foot-2, 222 pounds, 28 years old, 7th Season

Acquired: The Steelers signed Trubisky to a two-year, $14.25 million contract on March 14, 2022 after his contract with the Buffalo Bills expired. This move came after the Steelers lost starting quarterback Ben Roethlisberger to retirement following the 2021 season.

Last season: Trubisky won the starting job in his first season in Pittsburgh, beating out the first round draft pick Pickett in training camp but the writing was on the wall that he would not remain as the starter for the entirety of the season. Trubisky and the Steelers managed to squeek out a 23-20 victory in Week 1 against the team’s rival and defending AFC Champions Cincinatti Bengals.

Three weeks later, Trubisky was benched in the team’s Week 4 matchup against the New York Jets and the Pickett era began.

Trubisky did appear in a few more games in replacement of an injured Pickett as he managed to beat Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers two weeks after his inital benching. His other prominent appearance came in the Week 14 game against the Baltimore Ravens when he threw three interceptions in route to a narrow 16-14 loss.

Mitch Trubisky throws a pass as the Steelers played against the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, Dec. 18, 2022 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte. (Mitchell Northam / Steelers Now)

Career: The Chicago Bears traded up with the San Fransisco 49ers to select Trubisky with the No. 2 overall selection in the 2017 NFL Draft. After an average rookie year, Trubisky had his best year as an NFL quarterback in 2018 under newly signed head coach Matt Nagy and was named to the Pro Bowl as a result. Trubisky completed 289 of his 434 passes (66.6%) for 3,223 yards and maintained a solid 2-1 touchdown to interception ratio as he finished with 24 passing touchdowns and 12 interceptions.

In 2020, the Bears traded for longtime veteran Nick Foles and officially marked Trubisky’s starting job as an “open competition.” The Bear additionally decided to decline the former No. 2 overall pick’s fifth-year option. Trubisky won the starting job in the preseason but lost the job a short time later and then decided to leave Chicago after just four seasons. Matt Nagy was fired a year later in 2021.

Trubisky decided to sign with the Buffalo Bills for the 2021 season and was the backup to Josh Allen. The year off gave Trubisky’s name some attention during the following offseason and he managed to sign a two-year contract with the Steelers.

College: A Mentor, Ohio native, Trubisky arrived in Chapel Hill in 2013 and was a redshirt during his freshman season at North Carolina. The next two years, Trubisky failed to see the field as the starting quarterback due to then starter Marquise Williams winning the job in 2014 and 2015. As a redshirt junior Trubisky won the starting job and started in 13 games for the Tar Heels.

In 2016, Trubisky completed 304 of 447 passes (68%) for 3,748 yards, 30 touchdowns and only six interceptions. The Tar Heels climbed all the way to No. 15 in the AP Poll before losing two of their last three games of the 2016 season. Trubisky declared for the draft after his only season as a starting quarterback in college.

Salary cap and future: Trubisky will count for $6.011 million against the Steelers’ 2023 salary cap. He is signed through the end of the 2025 season after signing an extension this offseason. In 2024, Trubisky will count for $7.556 toward the Steelers’ cap, and another $8.306 million in 2025. He will become an unrestricted free agent in 2026.

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