Before the Pittsburgh Steelers kicked off the 2022 season, there was a major debate as to who was going to be the team’s starting quarterback. The Steelers had signed Mitch Trubisky in free agency ahead of the NFL Draft where they drafted Kenny Pickett with the 20th overall pick. Trubisky was the starter to begin the season, but the Steelers would later turn to Pickett to lead the offense after a rough patch early in the year. Trubisky remained the backup for the rest of 2022, but now the question is whether he will be back in the same role for 2023?
Steelers Still Win With Mitch?
In a recent interview with Bob Pompeani of KDKA-TV, Steelers owner, Art Rooney II discussed the entirety of the 2022 season. Among the questions asked was the status of Mitch Trubisky and whether or not Steelers fans should expect to see him in the black and gold for 2023:
“It’s still early in the off-season,” Rooney said, “but I expect Mitch will be on the roster next season and be an effective backup when we need him. I think he showed we can win with him. I think he’ll be on the roster next year.”
Mr. Rooney is right saying that the Steelers can win with Trubisky. First, he led the team to a 23-20 overtime win against the Cincinnati Bengals on the road. While he didn’t start the game, Trubisky did come in against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers once Pickett went down with a concussion. Pickett would go down with a concussion later on in the season, which gave Trubisky another opportunity to start. He would lead the Steelers to a 24-16 victory over the Carolina Panthers. So, we have the evidence to solidly show that Trubisky can in fact lead a team to victory, but will that team be Pittsburgh?
Is Trubisky Content Being A Backup Quarterback?
Pittsburgh has been Trubisky’s third team since he was drafted second overall by the Chicago Bears back in 2017 and has had varying roles for the Steelers during the entire 2022 season. Just like in Chicago, Trubisky was seen as the guy who was coming in to be the leader of the offense and subsequently the whole team. After Kenny Pickett made his presence known, Trubisky was then relegated to the secondary quarterback position. That situation is similar to last season when he was the second to Josh Allen as a member of the Buffalo Bills.
Trubisky was never going to beat out Allen in Buffalo, but now it looks as though he might not be able to beat Pickett in Pittsburgh. If I’m Trubisky, I have to be wondering whether or not I’m “ok” with being a backup in the NFL. The answer is most likely not, which if that is in fact the case, what should Trubisky do?
Trubisky is currently under contract for next year and stands to make $8 million. If he’s unhappy with his role with the team, the Steelers could either cut Trubisky for cap space relief or shop him around and see if there are any suitors. If that is the route they go, I could see Trubisky becoming the starter for one of the teams in the NFC South.
In my opinion, Trubisky could be the starter for either the New Orleans Saints, Atlanta Falcons, or the Carolina Panthers. He could also potentially land in Tampa Bay if Tom Brady decides to either retire or go to a different team. Personally, I’d like to keep Trubisky because it’s just as Mr. Rooney said; he’s an effective backup and having a guy like that who’s ready to go when his number is called is crucial in the modern NFL.
However, it’s still very early in the off-season, so it may take a while before we see any decision being made one way or the other.
Would you want Mitch Trubisky backing up Kenny Pickett in 2023?
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