Source – Steelers, Mitch Trubisky finalize two-year extension

Pittsburgh – Mitch Trubisky isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.

A source confirmed to ESPN that with a year left on the backup quarterback’s contract, the Pittsburgh Steelers are finalizing a two-year extension with the former No. 2 overall pick.

NFL Network first reported that the Steelers were in the process of finalizing an extension with Trubisky.

Earlier Thursday, Steelers general manager Omar Khan said in an interview on “The Pat McAfee Show” that he was “finalizing an extension” with Trubisky but did not disclose the length of the deal.

“We feel good about our left-back room, and that was an important piece,” Khan said in the interview. “We have, obviously, Kenny Pickett as our hero. We feel really good about Mitch Trubisky in the role that he’s in. He feels good about it. We’ve added Mason Rudolph. We feel really good about the QB room.”

Trubisky is set to net $10.6 million for the cap for the 2023 season, and the stretch offers flexibility in the cap, while also providing Trubisky’s safety as a top-notch backup. The move also comes a day after the Steelers re-signed Rudolph to a one-year deal after he hit the open market in free agency, keeping quarterback room from 2022.

Although Trubisky, who was named the 2022 team captain, lost his starting job early last season, he was a valuable resource for Pickett’s first-round pick, and provided the Steelers with a solid insurance policy on starts and appearances.

Khan was clear about his desire to keep Trubisky in the NFL in February, hinting at an extension at the time.

“Mitch was great,” Khan said during the gathering. “It was great to have him around, and I look forward to having him here for a long time. Not just this year but for a long time.”

Signing a two-year, $14 million contract with Pittsburgh on the first day of free agency in 2022, Trubisky, who was drafted by the Bears in 2017, joins the Steelers looking to begin his professional career a year later as the backup to Josh Allen in Buffalo. The Steelers drafted Pickett in the first round less than two months after signing Trubisky, but the veteran kept the starting job out of training camp.

Despite this, the offense struggled to find its footing in the season openers, often lacking strength in a conservative game plan. In search of a spark, the coaching staff brought in Pickett to replace Trubisky as the starter at the end of the first half of a Week 4 loss to the New York Jets. In his first four starts in Pittsburgh, Trubisky threw for 653 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions.

“The fact that they voted me captain means I have to come over here, put my hand in the mound and lead these guys any way I can, even if it’s not on the court,” Trubisky told ESPN last year.

After transitioning into a support role for Pickett, Trubisky earned another start in Week 14 against the Carolina Panthers, completing 17 of 22 attempts for 179 yards in the 24-16 win. Trubisky saw action in two more games after Pickett suffered a concussion, first helping the Steelers win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 6 completing 9 of 12 attempts for 144 yards and a touchdown. Then, in Week 13, he threw three interceptions for one touchdown in a loss to the Baltimore Ravens.

In six seasons in the NFL, Trubisky completed 64.2% of his pass attempts and threw 68 touchdown passes to 43 interceptions in 64 games (55 starts).