QB Mitch Trubisky is one of the three players released by the Steelers.
Pittsburgh The quarterback Mitch Trubisky was released by the Steelers on Monday, one year after the team signed him to a two-year agreement.
On Monday, the Steelers also cut loose Pressley Harvin, their punter, and offensive tackle Chukwuma Okorafor, a veteran. The actions save the Steelers’ 2024 salary cap space to the tune of about $13 million.
With Trubisky gone and late-season standout Mason Rudolph set to become a free agent in March, the Steelers’ sole quarterback on the roster for 2024 is 2022 first-round selection Kenny Pickett.
The 29-year-old Trubisky was scheduled to count more than $7 million in 2024 and more than $8 million in 2025 against the Steelers’ cap. Rather than that, Trubisky now saves the Steelers around $3 million by leaving behind a salary hit of $4.6 million in 2024.
On the first day of the 2022 free agency period, the organisation signed the 2017 No. 2 overall pick by the Chicago Bears. A few months later, they drafted Pickett at No. 20 overall.
Following a quarterback competition during training camp, Trubisky started the first four games of the 2022 season. To invigorate the offence that was in decline, Pickett took over at halftime of the Week 4 matchup with the New York Jets.
That season, Trubisky made three additional appearances, going 2-1 while filling in for an injured Pickett. Perceiving Trubisky’s value as an experienced backup and mentor for Pickett, the Steelers inked him to a new $19.4 million, three-year contract in May 2023.
However, Trubisky struggled in 2023 as a backup and was finally benched for Rudolph after he threw three interceptions for three touchdowns in a three-game span while Pickett recovered from surgery and an ankle ailment. Trubisky dressed as the No. 2 quarterback for two games as Rudolph ignited the offence; he was not on the field for the Week 18 victory over the Baltimore Ravens or the Wild Card Round loss to the Buffalo Bills.
Trubisky played in 12 games while with the Steelers, starting seven of them. Of his pass attempts, he completed 64.1%, throwing eight touchdowns and ten interceptions.
The 26-year-old Okorafor’s release frees up the Steelers’ cap room by over $9 million. He has one year remaining on a three-year, $29.5 million contract. Since the Steelers chose Okorafor in the third round of the 2018 NFL draft, he has featured in 77 games and started 59 of them. However, following Week 7, Okorafor was benched in favour of rookie first-round choice Broderick Jones, and he saw very little action the remainder of the season.
While Harvin was a seventh-round pick in 2021, he struggled during his three seasons with the Steelers, even though, as a rookie, he outperformed veteran punter Jordan Berry. With a net average of 39.4 yards per punt and an overall average of 43.7, Harvin, 25, concluded his career.
