A day after the NFL season concluded with the playing of the Super Bowl, the Pittsburgh Steelers made roster moves aimed at reducing their salary cap for the 2024 season.
The Steelers released quarterback Mitch Trubisky, right tackle Chuks Okorafor and punter Pressley Harvin.
Trubisky spent two seasons with the Steelers, making seven starts and appearing in 12 games. The Steelers signed him to a contract extension last offseason, but by releasing Trubisky, the franchise saves $9.25 million in salary over the 2024-25 seasons and a $1 million roster bonus in each of those years. The move creates about $3 million in cap savings for the 2024 season. Trubisky’s deal, though, will have a $4.6 million hit against the cap in dead money.
The Steelers signed Trubisky in free agency in 2021 after Ben Roethlisberger’s retirement. His future became cloudy when the Steelers drafted Kenny Pickett in the first round that year, and Trubisky ended up losing his starting job to Pickett a month into the season. He started only one more game the rest of that season.
Still, the Steelers signed him to a contract extension with the intent of having Trubisky be the long-term backup to Pickett.
Trubisky was 2-5 as a starter and lost both of his starts last year before coach Mike Tomlin turned to No. 3 quarterback Mason Rudolph, who won the final three games of the regular season and was the quarterback in the AFC wild-card loss at Buffalo.
Rudolph will become a free agent in March, leaving the Steelers searching for a veteran backup if he departs.
Okorafor made 59 starts and played in 77 games over his six seasons with the Steelers. He was a mainstay on the right side of the offense line from 2020-22 when he started 48 games. Okorafor was benched after seven starts in 2023, paving the way for first-round pick Broderick Jones to lock down the right tackle job.
By cutting Okorafor, who was entering the final year of a three-year, $29.25 million contract, the Steelers will save $4.75 million in salary and a $4 million roster bonus. He will count about $3 million in dead money against the cap.
Harvin was entering the final season of his rookie contract and had a $1.055 million salary for 2024. Harvin was the Steelers punter for the past three seasons, but his inconsistent performance led to the Steelers moving on from him. He finished tied for No. 29 in net punting, with a 39.2 average. He ranked No. 25 as a rookie and improved to No. 18 in his second season before falling back in 2023.
The Steelers used Brad Wing, who previously played in the league in 2017, as their punter for two games when Harvin was injured, and they will try to upgrade the position in the draft or free agency.
The moves save the Steelers about $13 million against the salary cap not counting displacement.
Joe Rutter is a TribLive reporter who has covered the Pittsburgh Steelers since the 2016 season. A graduate of Greensburg Salem High School and Point Park, he is in his fifth decade covering sports for the Trib. He can be reached at jrutter@triblive.com.