The Pittsburgh Steelers cut quarterback Mitch Trubisky on Monday, sending the former No. 2 overall draft pick out of the University of North Carolina into free agency after two less than stellar seasons.
Trubisky signed with the Steelers in March 2022 and was given the keys to the car after and first crack at replacing the retired ‘Big’ Ben Roethlisberger. Trubisky was under center for four games prior to being benched in favor of then-rookie Kenny Pickett. Trubisky struggled mightily again this season while filling in for an injured Pickett, dropping starts against the New England Patriots and Indianapolis Colts before being replaced by third-stringer Mason Rudolph.
Releasing Trubisky frees up about $11.5 million in salary cap space over the next two years.
The Steelers also cut offensive tackle Chukwuma Okorafor and punter Pressley Harvin III to start what is thought to be a series of moves to free up money before free agency kicks off.
With Trubisky out of the picture, Pickett is the Steelers’ only signal caller under contract for 2024. Rudolph is scheduled to hit the free agency market in March, though coach Mike Tomlin said the team is interested in bringing Rudolph, who won three games as a starter to help the Steelers reach the postseason, back to go head-to-head with Pickett in a quarterback competition during training camp.
Trubisky went a dismal 2-5 as a starter with the Steelers, throwing for eight touchdowns and 10 interceptions. While he gave Pittsburgh a dual threat and an athletic presence in the pocket, his questionable decision-making and poor mechanics, issues that stunted his growth earlier in his career with the Chicago Bears, gave the Steelers no choice but to turn to others.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe 29-year-old Trubisky lasted four seasons in the ‘Windy City’ with the Bears, who drafted him in 2017, and spent a year as a backup for Josh Allen in Buffalo before trying to revive his career with the Steelers.
Okorafor’s dismissal from the team was all but a done deal when he was benched in favor of rookie first-round pick Broderick Jones midway through the season after his outburst late in a loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. Okorafor started 59 games for the Steelers after being selected in the third round of the 2018 draft.
The 26-year-old played well in spurts and was given a three-year, $29.25 million contract in 2022.
However, when Pittsburgh drafted Jones with the 14th overall pick of the 2023 draft and with left tackle Dan Moore Jr. on a rookie contract, Okorafor’s days were numbered. Okorafor said after Pittsburgh’s season ended with a first-round playoff exit to the Bills, that he would not have signed the new contract if he thought he would not be with the team through the end of it.
“If I knew that was going to be the case, I probably wouldn’t have chosen to come back here,” Okorafor said in January. “At this point, there’s nothing you can do about it.”
Harvin, a seventh-round pick in 2021, struggled with consistency during his three years with the Steelers. He averaged 43.7 yards per punt in 47 games with Pittsburgh, but rather than bring him back to play the final year of his four-year deal, the Steelers instead will head into the offseason looking for a new punter.
