Steelers release 3 players, including QB Trubisky

Brooke Pryor, ESPN Staff WriterFeb 12, 2024, 05:28 PM ET
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- Previously covered the Kansas City Chiefs for the Kansas City Star and Oklahoma University for the Oklahoman.

PITTSBURGH — A year after signing him to a two-year extension, the Steelers released quarterback Mitch Trubisky, the team announced Monday.

The Steelers also released longtime offensive lineman Chukwuma Okorafor and punter Pressley Harvin on Monday. The moves saved the Steelers nearly $13 million in 2024 salary cap space.

With Trubisky’s departure and late-season hero Mason Rudolph scheduled to hit free agency in March, 2022 first-round pick Kenny Pickett is currently the only quarterback on the Steelers’ roster for 2024.

Trubisky, 29, was set to count more than $7 million against the Steelers’ cap in 2024 and more than $8 million in 2025. Instead, Trubisky now leaves behind a cap hit of $4.6 million in 2024, saving the Steelers nearly $3 million.

The organization initially signed the Chicago Bears‘ 2017 No. 2 overall pick on the first day of the 2022 free agency period before drafting Pickett at No. 20 overall a few months later.

After a quarterback competition through training camp, Trubisky started the first four games of the 2022 season before being replaced by Pickett at halftime of the Week 4 game against the New York Jets in an effort to give the stagnant offense a spark.

Playing in relief of an injured Pickett, Trubisky appeared in three more games that season, going 2-1 in those outings. Believing Trubisky to be valuable as a veteran backup and mentor to Pickett, the Steelers then signed him to a new three-year contract in May 2023 worth a total of $19.4 million.

But Trubisky faltered as a backup in 2023 and was eventually benched for Rudolph after throwing three picks to three touchdowns in a three-game stretch while Pickett recovered from an ankle injury and subsequent surgery. As Rudolph gave the offense a spark, Trubisky dressed as the No. 2 quarterback for two games and was inactive for the Week 18 victory over the Baltimore Ravens and the wild-card round loss to the Buffalo Bills.

As a Steeler, Trubisky appeared in 12 games, starting seven of them. He completed 64.1% of his pass attempts and threw eight touchdowns to 10 interceptions.

Okorafor, 26, had one year left on a three-year, $29.5 million contract, and his release saves the Steelers nearly $9 million in cap space. Okorafor started 59 games and appeared in 77 since being selected by the Steelers in the third round of the 2018 NFL draft. Okorafor, though, was benched for rookie first-round pick Broderick Jones after Week 7 and played only a handful of snaps the rest of the season.

Harvin, meanwhile, was a seventh-round selection in 2021 and was inconsistent throughout his three-season Steelers career despite beating out longtime punter Jordan Berry as a rookie. Harvin, 25, finished with a net average of 39.4 yards per punt and an overall average of 43.7.