Getty Image / Eakin Howard
The Pittsburgh Steelers‘ quarterback situation left a lot to be desired during the 2022 NFL season.
In their first season after Ben Roethlisberger’s retirement, the Steelers rotated between Mitch Trubisky and Kenny Pickett at the position with disappointing results.
At one point in the season, their star receiver even threw his support behind the team’s 3rd string quarterback to start.
Despite the team’s failure to make the playoffs this past season, it looks like they plan to head into the 2023 season with the same options at QB.
There was never any doubt they’d remain committed to Pickett a year after making him the first QB selected in the draft, but it looks like they are also going to be sticking with Trubisky.
According to ESPN’s Brooke Pryor, Steelers GM Omar Khan said that he wants to keep Trubisky for next season.
Steelers GM Omar Khan says they want Mitch Trubisky next year – he’s still under contract for 2023 – and beyond
— Brooke Pryor (@bepryor) February 28, 2023
It isn’t surprising that the team would want some insurance behind Pickett in case he doesn’t improve or gets injured, but it’s surprising that they want Trubisky to be that insurance.
They can save $8 million in cap space by cutting Trubisky this offseason and then could replace him with a cheaper option.
Trubisky didn’t do much last season to prove he’d be much better than a cheaper backup.
In 7 appearances, including 5 starts, trubisky threw for just 4 touchdowns while also throwing 5 interceptions. He went 2-3 as the team’s starter and didn’t have a single multi-touchdown game.
For whatever reason, it appears none of that matters to the Steelers.
Cutting Trubisky would have actually put the team under the salary cap as they attempt to build a winning roster around Pickett.
Now it looks like the Pittsburgh Steelers will have to turn elsewhere to create some flexibility for themselves.