Mike Tomlin explains why Mitch Trubisky is such a valuable backup QB

Kenny Pickett is going to be the guy in Pittsburgh for the forseeable future, but Mitch Trubisky is still a valuable member of the Steelers’ roster. Head coach Mike Tomlin is still high on the former No. 2 overall draft choice.

“He’s got experience as a franchise quarterback,” Tomlin said. “I think first and foremost that experience he had in Chicago – forget whether it was positive or negative, or the perceptions of it – that guy walked in that building every day with the responsibility of being a franchise quarterback. He’s not speculating what that feels like and what that means.

“That positions him to be a great support to Kenny [Pickett]. Secondly, it’s not unfamiliar territory when called upon for him to deliver, and so that experience I value.”

Trubisky’s experience allows a bit of insurance to the quarterback room if anything were to ever happen to Pickett. He was the starting quarterback out of training camp and finished the season completing 65 percent of his passes for 1,252 yards with four touchdowns against five interceptions.

Tomlin has seen Trubisky’s situation play out before, and it typically works out in for both parties.

“I view it very similar to Charlie Batch’s experience in Detroit before he came to Pittsburgh,” Tomlin said. “I see the value in that. Byron Leftwich had walked around Jacksonville as a franchise guy. I just think it’s an awesome component of a resume for your backup.

“When they have been that guy and they’ve been saddled with that responsibility, it provides perspective for them that allows them to be legitimate support to the starter, and then it also makes them calm in the midst of the storm. When a ‘backup’ is called upon they have a resume that allows them to say, ‘Hey, settle down, I got this.'”

Having that type of confidence in his second-team quarterback is exactly why Tomlin decided to restructure Trubisky’s contract this offseason. His contract allows him to stay with the team through the 2025-26 season. By the time he becomes a free agent in the 2026 offseason, he’ll be 32 years old.

Trubisky’s workload this coming season will vary based on Pickett’s health and performance, but he’s more than capable of leading Pittsburgh to a victory if the need were to ever arise.

The Steelers kick off their 2023-24 regular season on Sept. 10 at home against another second-year starting quarterback in Brock Purdy and the San Francsico 49ers. As it stands, the Niners are three-point favorites on the road, according to Vegas Insider.