Mitch Trubisky discusses prospect of playing with Steelers: 'I think of a legendary franchise'

Now that the Pittsburgh Steelers are “out” on Russell Wilson and Aaron Rodgers (if they were ever “in” to begin with), it’s time for Pittsburgh to recalibrate expectations on what will happen with the franchise’s quarterback position in 2022.

The fanbase can start working itself into a lather over Malik Willis or Kenny Pickett as the draft draws closer. Or it can just start getting used to the idea of Mason Rudolph and/or Dwayne Haskins eventually taking over for Ben Roethlisberger.

There is a third option: Warm up to the idea of giving somebody else’s castoff starter a second (or third) chance for success.

One such player is free agent Jameis Winston, who is coming off injury with the New Orleans Saints. Denver’s Teddy Bridgewater, San Francisco’s Jimmy Garoppolo, Miami’s Jacoby Brissett and Indianapolis’ Carson Wentz have been kicked around as options as well.

But an increasingly hot name generating some buzz is Buffalo Bills backup Mitch Trubisky. Not just in Pittsburgh, but in other cities, too.

The former No. 2 overall pick is now 27 years old. He started 50 games over four seasons with the Chicago Bears, then spent last year as Josh Allen’s backup in Buffalo.

Trubisky is 29-21 as a regular season starter, losing both of his postseason starts. He has thrown 64 touchdowns versus 38 interceptions. Trubisky’s career completion percentage is at 64.1 with a rating of 87.0. His best season was 2018 when he went 11−3 as Chicago’s starter, completing 66.6% of his passes for 3,223 yards and 24 TDs (95.4 rating). He also rushed for 421 yards.

Despite completing just eight passes this season and struggling with inconsistency with the Bears, many in football circles seem to think that there is more to be seen from Trubisky’s game if he gets another shot as a full-time starter.

ESPN recently predicted that Trubisky could even land a contract that pays him as much as $10 million annually, after making $2.5 million last year. Pittsburgh is a potential destination that is frequently mentioned. Trubisky discussed that possibility with ESPN’s Adam Schefter during a podcast released Monday.

The prospect of joining the Steelers seemed intriguing to him.

“I think of a legendary franchise,” Trubisky told Schefter of the idea of coming to Pittsburgh. “You think of the Black and Gold, you think of the coach, Mike Tomlin. Ben Roethlisberger slinging it around. But the Black and Gold, just legendary colors. A great historical franchise for the NFL.”

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Trubisky also spoke about perhaps transitioning to the AFC North, a division that already features Joe Burrow, Lamar Jackson and Baker Mayfield already entrenched at the quarterback position with the other three teams in Cincinnati, Baltimore and Cleveland.

“You think of the AFC North, tough division,” Trusbisky continued. “A lot of great quarterbacks. Hard-nosed football in the AFC North. So I’ve got a lot of respect for coach Tomlin and that great defense they’ve got up there.”

The Steelers-Browns rivalry is nothing new to Trubisky, a native of Mentor, Ohio. But the thought of seeing him in Black and Gold would be new to his family.

“Pittsburgh is pretty close to home for me being from Cleveland. So that would be cool,” Trubisky said. “I think it would be hard to get a lot of my family to switch into those colors, but I’ve been doing it just fine.”

I’m already on record as being against this strategy for the Steelers. Acquiring a Trubisky, Winston or Garoppolo just feels like muddling the quarterback picture and not really committing to any one specific player. I’m not a fan of trying to solve quarterback problems by merely throwing numbers at the position.

I wanted the Steelers to swing big on the trade market for Rodgers or Wilson or Derek Carr. Or, if they fall in love with a draft prospect such as Pickett or Willis, go ahead and draft one of them. I’m not necessarily sold on either of those guys as long-term NFL starters. But if the Steelers are, then they should draft one of them if they are available in the first round. At least that would be making a commitment.

To me, signing a guy like Trusbisky doesn’t feel like a solution to the QB question, rather it appears to be just another option that may create more questions. Especially if that decision carries a price tag in excess of $10 million.

But, hey, a guy from Ohio beating up the Browns in Black and Gold? I seem to remember that scenario working out nicely once before.