Pittsburgh One year after the Steelers signed quarterback Mitch Trubisky to a two-year contract, the team released him on Monday.
The Steelers also released veteran offensive tackle Chukwuma Okorafor on Monday in addition to Pressley Harvin, their punter. By taking these steps, the Steelers will be able to preserve almost $13 million in salary cap room for 2024.
With Trubisky gone and late-season standout Mason Rudolph scheduled to become a free agent in March, 2022 first-round selection Kenny Pickett will be the only quarterback on the Steelers roster in 2024.
The 29-year-old Trubisky was supposed to count more than $7 million against the Steelers’ cap in 2024 and more than $8 million in 2025. Instead, Trubisky now saves the Steelers around $3 million by forgoing a $4.6 million salary in 2024.
The organization signed the Chicago Bears’ 2017 No. 2 overall pick on the opening day of the 2022 free agency period. They selected Pickett at No. 20 overall a few months later.
During training camp, there was a quarterback competition, and Trubisky began the first four games of the 2022 season. In the first half of the Week 4 game against the New York Jets, Pickett took over to energize the faltering offense.
Trubisky made three more appearances that season, going 2-1 in relief of an ailing Pickett. In May 2023, Trubisky signed a new $19.4 million, three-year contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers, who saw his importance as a seasoned backup and mentor for Pickett.
But after struggling as a backup in 2023 and throwing three interceptions for three touchdowns in three games while Pickett was recovering from surgery and an ankle injury, Trubisky was eventually benched for Rudolph. For two weeks, Trubisky donned the No. 2 quarterback uniform while Rudolph sparked the offense; he did not play in the team’s victories over the Baltimore Ravens in Week 18 or the Buffalo Bills in the Wild Card Round.
During his time with the Steelers, Trubisky participated in 12 games, starting seven of them. He completed 64.1% of his pass attempts with eight touchdowns and ten interceptions.
The departure of 26-year-old Okorafor frees up over $9 million in cap space for the Steelers. On a $29.5 million, three-year contract, he has one year left. After being selected by the Steelers in the third round of the 2018 NFL draft, Okorafor has made appearances in 77 games, starting 59 of them. But after Week 7, Okorafor was benched in favor of rookie Broderick Jones, selected in the first round, and he played a relatively little role for the rest of the season.
Despite being a seventh-round pick in 2021, Harvin had a difficult three seasons with the Steelers, outperforming veteran punter Jordan Berry in his debut campaign. Harvin, 25, finished with a net average of 39.4 yards per punt and an overall average of 43.7 yards.
