Where could former first-round quarterback Mitchell Trubisky land in 2022 NFL Free Agency? We take a look at the top three most ideal fits.
The 2022 NFL Free Agency frenzy will soon be underway, and there are a handful of quarterbacks that could be looking at signing on for starting jobs in new cities. One of those quarterbacks will be Mitchell Trubisky, who spent the last year rehabbing his value with the Buffalo Bills as Josh Allen’s backup.
For all his faults as a player, the Chicago Bears won quite a few games with Trubisky as their starting quarterback. As a matter of fact, they were 25-13 in his 38 starts from 2018-2020.
According to Jordan Schultz, teams are already expressing interest in Trubisky.
Mitch Trubisky drawing lots of FA buzz. Several teams - inc #Commanders, #Steelers and #Saints - are all interested in the former No. 2 pick, sources say. Trubisky is still just 27 - #Bills LOVED having him - and several execs told me Mitch is viewed as a starting QB right now.
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) March 1, 2022
Schultz name-dropped a trio of teams here and we’re going to look into all of those teams plus one team he didn’t name as options for Trubisky in 2022.
Mitchell Trubisky landing spot no. 1: Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers come up with just about every available quarterback these days, and understandably so.
Ben Roethlisberger is hanging up the cleats and the Steelers’ only options behind him are Mason Rudolph and Dwayne Haskins.
Unless they are supremely confident in the development of those guys, alternatives will need to be pursued. Not that the Steelers want to use the 2022 season as an experimental year, but it’s not out of the question to think they could sort of use this season as a bulletproof year at the QB position to reevaluate in 2023.
General manager Kevin Colbert is going to be retiring after the 2022 NFL Draft. Does he want to go out and force the new general manager into a corner with a QB he didn’t select?
Signing a player like Mitchell Trubisky to a one-year deal could make a ton of sense for a team like the Steelers, which obviously has a strong defense and a bunch of weapons offensively for Trubisky to spread the ball to.
It could be a situation where Trubisky really revives his career and pulls off something similar to what we have seen from Ryan Tannehill in Tennessee.
Mitchell Trubisky landing spot no. 2: Washington Commanders
The Washington Commanders and their fans are likely tired of the retread quarterback options.
I get it, I really do.
Unfortunately, there’s not a lavish tree full of quarterbacks ripe for the picking, and the former second overall pick Trubisky might be one of the best and most realistic options for a team like Washington.
Do the Commanders absolutely love someone in the 2022 NFL Draft class?
If they don’t it’s not like Trubisky is the only option, but you can see why he would be appealing to them. Unlike some other options this team has tried to sell the fan base on in recent years, Trubisky at least might have some longer-term upside.
He was someone else’s draft bust, but you could point to the shortcomings of Trubisky in Chicago as the fault of head coach Matt Nagy and his staff, because Nagy’s offense was not suitable for really any quarterback that lined up for him, even the ultra-talented Justin Fields this past year.
The Commanders may not want to pin themselves into any corner this year in terms of drafting somebody. They also have other holes on the roster to address.
A player like Trubisky could get the ball to Terry McLaurin and make plays himself as a runner. There are weapons in Washington and an improving offensive line.
Trubisky might not sell a bunch of jerseys with the Commanders, but he might be a worthwhile risk/reward type of option.
Mitchell Trubisky landing spot no. 3: Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are still — at the time of this post being written — holding out hope for Aaron Rodgers.
That seems like a fleeting hope at this point, but until Rodgers declares what he’s going to do in 2022 one way or the other, that likely prevents Denver from pursuing any other options.
With free agency so close now, Rodgers has to make his intentions for the 2022 season known and teams should already have offers lined up if the Packers do agree to trade him away.
If the Packers and Rodgers stick together, teams like the Denver Broncos are going to be forced into their backup plans. For the Broncos, could Mitchell Trubisky make sense for a second straight season?
Trubisky made sense for Denver last year coming off of a down year in Chicago where he could have likely done what Teddy Bridgewater did — win the starting job over Drew Lock and get another full season of starts under his belt.
The Broncos didn’t have interest in Trubisky last year, at least not in terms of making him an offer, but maybe they will in 2022.
George Paton, the Denver Broncos GM, is likely quite familiar with Trubisky having been with the Minnesota Vikings for the majority of Trubisky’s career thus far.
Nathaniel Hackett and his new offensive staff are emphasizing building an offense around the players, and with a player-friendly scheme, Trubisky’s athleticism and arm talent could be a good fit for the Broncos at a team-friendly price.
Mitchell Trubisky landing spot no. 4: New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints quarterback situation remains very much in the air as we head into the month of March.
Jameis Winston has started running, but Jameis doesn’t currently have a team to run with.
He’s a free agent, and free agent quarterbacks with solidified situations aren’t usually sharing rehab videos with Adam Schefter.
Would the Saints like to have Winston back in 2022? Maybe, but there’s also plenty of risk involved there given Winston is coming off of a major knee injury.
There’s no more Sean Payton in New Orleans. There’s obviously no more Drew Brees, either.
The Saints need a solution at the quarterback position, but what can they realistically afford?
Mitchell Trubisky is coming off of a year in which he was the backup to Josh Allen in Buffalo, and he’ll obviously be seeking out starting opportunities. He might not be able to get $15 million per season but he might be able to get a one-year deal with some incentives from a team like the Saints.
Although the Saints have very little in the way of cap space, perhaps Trubisky could come in on a team-friendly, short-term deal, and rehab his financial value by spreading the ball around to guys like Michael Thomas and Alvin Kamara.