Steelers release three players, including QB Mitch Trubisky - ESPN

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