Steelers Welcome Former Starting QB Back

The Pittsburgh Steelers are set to face their old signal-caller.

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Mitch Trubisky (10) draws back to pass Saturday, Dec. 16, 2023, during a game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. / Grace Hollars/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK

PITTSBURGH -- As the Pittsburgh Steelers enter a new chapter with their quarterback duo of Russell Wilson and Justin Fields, they'll be reminded of their former shortcomings at the position as the Buffalo Bills roll into town for a preseason bout.

Mitch Trubisky, who spent each of the last two seasons with the Steelers, told reporters that he harbors no ill will towards the organization despite dealing with hardship during that stretch.

"It was a good two years," Trubisky said. "I think I learned a lot. It was tough for me personally, but I don’t have any hard feelings about it whatsoever,” Trubisky said.

Trubisky signed a two-year contract with Pittsburgh in March of 2022 worth a base value of $14.25 million that could've risen to $27 million with incentives. The expectation at the time was that he would take over as the team's starting quarterback following the retirement of Ben Roethlisberger, though he wouldn't hold that title for long.

The Steelers selected Kenny Pickett No. 20 overall in the 2022 NFL Draft, which was more or less the writing on the wall for Trubisky. Still, he was named a captain and won the job out of training camp that summer.

Pickett later supplanted Trubisky in the second half of Pittsburgh's Week Four matchup against the New York Jets that season and never looked back, relegating him to backup duty. The Steelers then signed Trubisky to a new three-year deal in May of 2023 worth $19.4 million, but it did little to change his status.

Trubisky appeared in only five games last season, two of which came as starts in relief of an injured Pickett who had otherwise cemented himself as the team's starter. The Steelers also opted to go with Mason Rudolph ahead of Trubisky late in the year, including in their Wild Card round game against Buffalo, as the veteran fell completely out of favor.

Despite all of that, Trubisky still talks to Pickett and Rudolph in a group chat that the three share, serving as evidence that they all maintain a good relationship.

“I talk to them every week," Trubisky said. "They’re doing good. We stay in contact. We’ve got a great relationship.”

Trubisky finished his Steelers career with 1,884 passing yards, eight touchdowns and 10 interceptions while the team held a 3-9 record in games he appeared in.

He further admitted that his tenure wasn't quite as smooth as he had originally hoped, but he came away considering it as a positive experience nonetheless.

"Sometimes, you’re going to have ups and downs," Trubisky said. "Maybe it wasn’t necessarily a good fit. I probably didn’t do what I needed to do on my end to be successful (in Pittsburgh). But there’s a lot of pieces and things that go into it. I always look back on it as a positive experience, and this journey just keeps on rolling."

Trubisky returned to the Bills this offseason on a two-year deal after joining the team for the 2021 campaign. After being chosen with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2017 draft by the Chicago Bears, where he twice helped the franchise reach the playoffs, Trubisky will once again backup Josh Allen as he moves into the next phase of his career.

Trubisky should receive a substantial chunk of playing time at Acrisure Stadium on Saturday once Allen and the rest of Buffalo's starters depart. Despite his muddied history with the Steelers, Trubisky isn't sweating facing his former employer.

"It won’t be weird," Trubisky said. "Once the ball is snapped, It’s just football."

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