QB Mitchell Trubisky joining Steelers on two-year deal
Mitchell Trubisky spent the 2021 NFL season as the backup quarterback for the Buffalo Bills after the second-overall pick from the 2017 draft flamed out with the Chicago Bears following four campaigns. Trubisky made it clear earlier in the winter he wanted a chance to compete for a starting job this spring and summer, and he was routinely linked with the New York Giants due to his relationships with Giants general manager Joe Schoen, head coach Brian Daboll and quarterbacks coach Shea Tierney, all of whom were previously employed by the Bills.
Such speculation was close but not entirely accurate.
NFL Network's Mike Garafolo (h/t Kevin Patra) and others report Trubisky is putting pen to paper on a two-year deal to join the Pittsburgh Steelers. Financial details of the contract weren't immediately disclosed, and Trubisky later confirmed the story to ESPN:
Pittsburgh needs a new QB1 following the retirement of future Hall of Famer Ben Roethlisberger and, until Monday's development, had career backup Mason Rudolph and 2019 first-round draft pick Dwayne Haskins set to compete for the job.
"If we started a season today, Mason would be our starter," Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert told reporters last month. However, Colbert later admitted Pittsburgh could add to its quarterback room via free agency and/or the upcoming draft.
As for Trubisky, he's appeared in 57 career regular-season NFL contests and completed 64.1% of his passes for 10,652 yards with 64 touchdowns and 38 interceptions. He's also contributed 1,081 career rushing yards and nine scores on the ground on 203 attempts.
This news presumably takes the Steelers out of the running for names such as Houston Texans star signal-caller Deshaun Watson and San Francisco 49ers veteran Jimmy Garoppolo, among other proven commodities.
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