STEELERS FINALIZING TWO-YEAR EXTENSION WITH VETERAN QB MITCH TRUBISKY
The Pittsburgh Steelers are extending veteran quarterback Mitchell Trubisky, Steelers GM Omar Khan revealed via the Pat McAfee Show on Thursday.
As per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the new deal is a two-year extension which means the former Chicago Bear is now under contract for three years and a massive $19.4 million. Trubisky can also earn a total of $33 million over the length of his contract, including incentives. The 2017 second overall draft pick had one year left on his current contract with the Steelers, and will now stay put in Pittsburgh through the 2025 season.
“We’re finishing up an extension with Mitch Trubisky,” General Manager Omar Khan revealed on Thursday. “We feel good about our quarterback room, so that was an important piece. We’ve got… obviously Kenny Pickett’s our starter and we feel really good about Mitch Trubisky in the role he’s in, and he feels really good about it. We’ve [also] added Mason Rudolph so we’re really excited about that QB room.”
Trubisky’s contract had a 2023 cap hit of $10.6 million, and the new extension is expected to lower it for the year. Most people expected Trubisky to be a cap casualty ahead of the new season but instead, the new deal keeps Mitch behind 2022 first-round draft pick Kenny Pickett for the next three years, ensuring continuity in the quarterback room, alongside long-term Steelers backup Mason Rudolph.
Trubisky started five games for the Steelers in 2022, finishing the year with 1,252 passing yards, four touchdowns and five interceptions. The 28-year-old was also one of the team captains last year and is a solid option at backup quarterback, especially with the backup free agent QB market being lackluster this year.
After one year sitting behind Josh Allen in Buffalo, Trubisky traded the cold New York weather for the terrible towels in Steel City ahead of the 2022 season. The former North Carolina Tar Heel brings 64 games of NFL experience, including 55 starts and has an impressive resume of orchestrating five comebacks and eight game-winning drives in his pro career.
While many teams don’t have a backup with that kind of significant playing time on their resume, the Steelers should be more than confident of Trubisky’s ability to manage their offense if starting quarterback Kenny Pickett gets injured. Ohio-born Mitch Trubisky stepped up to the plate in 2022, guiding the Steelers to crucial wins against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Carolina Panthers as the Gold and Yellow secured yet another winning season under head coach Mike Tomlin.
Between Trubisky’s extension and the team releasing cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon on Wednesday, the Steelers have freed up more than enough cap space to sign most of their free agent signings and leave enough cap room for any other potential roster moves throughout the rest of the year. Pittsburgh is reportedly still interested in former New York Jets and current free agent linebacker Kwon Alexander.
Steelers General Manager Omar Khan has been a busy man this offseason and spoke about his style of negotiation on the Pat McAfee Show, saying that he always tries to be fair in every negotiation. “I understand it’s got to be a win-win for both sides,” said Khan. “I just try to be fair. I think I understand both sides have a job to do. Just try to be fair, I’ve got too much going on to have drawn out negotiations.”
With Mitch Trubisky under contract for the next three years, the 6-foot-2 quarterback is now set to earn north of $50 million in his career, after already earning an impressive $37.9 million before the extension. Trubisky had been slated to earn $8 million in 2023 in the final year of the deal he signed last year but could earn a few million dollars more this year.
-Maher Abucheri
Twitter: @pabloikonyero
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