Mitch Trubisky has been seeking NFL salvation since his disappointing results with the Chicago Bears. The former No. 2 overall pick was most recently given the task of keeping the Pittsburgh Steelers afloat by taking over for the injured Kenny Pickett.
However, Trubisky has been given a seat with the Steelers.
Why Mitch Trubisky Isn’t Starting for Pittsburgh Steelers
Imagine head coach Mike Tomlin playing the role of both Santa Claus and The Grinch for the Steelers’ quarterback room during the 2023 holidays.
He’s turning to Rudolph (Mason Rudolph, that is) to lead his team. But in the process, Tomlin has stolen Trubisky’s starting role, handing it over to a new leader effective Monday as announced by Tomlin.
But what’s the reason behind the pre-Christmas change ahead of the Saturday showdown with the Cincinnati Bengals?
“We don’t like what we’re looking at in the consistency of it,” Tomlin said of his offense with the Pittsburgh media. “What I mean is, we’re not scoring enough points.”
It’s already been a rough 2023 for Pittsburgh’s offense. Matt Canada was relieved of his offensive coordinator duties during the season — making it the first time Pittsburgh fired an assistant during the year. But the offense still hasn’t found any explosive footing.
Trubisky and the Steelers were held to 18 points in the letdown loss to the New England Patriots. Then, against the Indianapolis Colts, Pittsburgh got bottled to 13 in the 30-13 Indy romp.
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Trubisky, the former North Carolina Tar Heel — once taken eight spots ahead of Patrick Mahomes in the 2017 NFL Draft — threw for only 190 and 169 yards in both losses to the Pats and Colts, respectively. He also settled for just one touchdown pass in each game.
With three games left and before Christmas arrives, the Steelers made a last-minute holiday change of plans.
“It’s more about really Mason Rudolph being deserving of an opportunity and us trying to change the trajectory of what’s been transpiring,” Tomlin said.
Could String Have Run Out for Trubisky in Pittsburgh?
For a quarterback already hearing and seeing the word “bust” attached to him, this change becomes an added dent to Trubisky’s résumé.
The 29-year-old is already on his third NFL team, and he’s 0-2 this season as the starter in place for Pickett. In seven starts as a Steeler, Trubisky has mustered just two career wins in the Steel City — both coming in 2022.
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Trubisky is currently on a contract extension with Pittsburgh that pays him $11,250,000. However, there is a potential opt-out option for both he and the franchise. The Steelers would have only $4.33 million in dead cap space if they were to move on from Trubisky.
Rudolph, meanwhile, now re-earns the trust of the Steelers over the former top-five pick.
“He’s a backup, but he’s also a veteran guy,” Tomlin said of Rudolph. “He’s been in our program a long time. He’s here for those reasons. We got a great deal of comfort with him.”
There was clear discomfort with Trubisky leading the Steelers into this pivotal three-game stretch to keep Pittsburgh’s playoff hopes alive.
And on Trubisky’s end, this becomes his latest setback in finding any kind of league momentum.
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