One of the biggest cut or keep decisions Pittsburgh Steelers fans have been awaiting is the pending status of backup quarterback, Mitch Trubisky. After the former second overall pick inked a two-year, $14.2 million contract with the team last offseason, many had high hopes.
Unfortunately, Trubisky was a bit of a letdown and was ultimately benched just three-and-a-half games into his Steelers career. Though he would return for a strong second-half of play against the Buccaneers, his late-season collapse against the Ravens (which included 3 interceptions) proved to be the nail in the coffin of Pittsburgh's season.
Because of the improvement the Steelers made down the stretch and the fact that the team has been vocal about rolling with Kenny Pickett, many were hopeful that Trubisky would be released early in the 2023 offseason in an effort to save money. That doesn't look like it's going to happen.
On February 28th, Omar Khan addressed the media in Indianapolis in preparation for the 2023 NFL Combine. the Steelers GM spoke on several matters, including the status of Mitch Trubisky, and he made it clear that he plans for the veteran quarterback to be a part of the team, ESPN's Brooke Pryor reports.
Steelers GM Omar Khan says they want Mitch Trubisky next year - he’s still under contract for 2023 - and beyond
— Brooke Pryor (@bepryor) February 28, 2023
Khan also didn't shut the door on a possible Mason Rudolph return, though it seems likely that Rudolph will look for a shot as a QB2 on another team -- especially now that it looks like Trubisky is sticking around.
Are Steelers making the right decision keeping Mitch Trubisky?
You could do far worse with your backup quarterback situation than having an athletic player with experience like Trubisky, but keeping him might not be the wisest decision.
While Khan did point to the advantages of having Kenny Pickett learn behind a veteran, that player doesn't necessarily need to be Trubisky. There were rumors that he was disgruntled about losing his starting job so early and that he would still like an opportunity to start -- something he won't be afforded in Pittsburgh.
The biggest factor, however, comes down to dollar signs. The Steelers are currently barely in positive money when it comes to salary cap space, and cutting Trubisky could clear up a substantial $8 million to spend in free agency in 2023, according to Over the Cap.
This doesn't account for displacement (the price difference between the savings and adding a new backup quarterback), but many backups around the league are extremely cheap and there are a plethora of options available. Mason Rudolph and Josh Dobbs are two options that could be had for a fraction of the price of Trubisky, just to name a few.
Whether we like it or not, we better get used to the fact that Pittsburgh is going to have a backup quarterback with a pretty sizeable cap number in 2023. Omar Khan seems to be pretty clear that Trubisky is staying in Pittsburgh for the foreseable future