Pittsburgh — Mitch Trubisky will get a chance to kickstart his career in Pittsburgh, and attempt to replace a likely Hall of Famer in the process.
A person with knowledge of the deal tells The Associated Press that the veteran quarterback and the Pittsburgh Steelers have agreed to terms on a two-year contract that will give Trubisky a chance to compete for the open starting job following Ben Roethlisberger’s retirement in January.
The person spoke to the AP on the condition of anonymity because the deal was not yet official.
The agreement was first reported by NFL Network.
Trubisky, 27, joins the Steelers after spending 2021 backing up Josh Allen in Buffalo following a flame out in Chicago. The second overall pick in the 2017 draft spent four uneven seasons with the Bears, going 29-21 as a starter while passing for 10,652 yards with 64 touchdowns against 38 interceptions.
Trubisky joins a quarterbacks room that includes longtime Pittsburgh backup Mason Rudolph. The team is also expected to bring back Dwayne Haskins, who served as Pittsburgh’s third quarterback last season.
The move is among the first of what will likely be a busy free-agent market for Pittsburgh, which is looking to fill holes at several positions following a 9-7-1 season that ended with a blowout loss to Kansas City in the first round of the playoffs.
The Steelers entered free agency with nearly $29 million in cap room, a significant chunk for a franchise that typically has little to spend on the open market. That figure could grow before the start of the new league year on Wednesday if Pittsburgh parts with linebacker Joe Schobert, among others.
Landing Trubisky provides some competition at the sport’s most vital position before the Steelers go searching for help along the offensive and defensive lines, and potentially in the secondary. Trubisky’s arrival also could impact the team’s interest in using its first-round draft pick on a quarterback, especially with a talent deficit in the trenches.
Trubisky spent four turbulent seasons in Chicago, which traded with San Francisco to move up one spot in the first round of the 2017 draft. He failed to live up to the considerable hype. Though there were flashes early — he was a Pro Bowler in 2018 after throwing for 3,223 yards and 24 touchdowns while leading the Bears to the playoffs — he was unable to sustain it.
Chicago declined to pick up Trubisky’s fifth-year option before the 2020 season and he was released last March, though the Bills acted quickly to bring him in to work behind Allen.
While Rudolph will likely be atop the depth chart, Trubisky offers the kind of mobility Rudolph largely lacks. Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin talked repeatedly during the season about the need to have a quarterback who can move around in offensive coordinator Matt Canada’s attack, something nonexistent in Pittsburgh in general for the second half of Roethlisberger’s career.
Browns releasing WR Jarvis Landry, now free agent
Cleveland — The Cleveland Browns are releasing five-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Jarvis Landry, who helped the team’s turnaround but is too expensive to keep, a person familiar with the move told The Associated Press.
Landry will officially be let go later Monday, said the person who spoke on condition of anonymity because the team has not yet announced the transaction.
The Browns were hoping to restructure Landry’s contract, but couldn’t strike a compromise. The team will save nearly $15 million in cash and salary-cap space, allowing the Browns to address other needs.
Landry’s departure comes two days after the Browns agreed to acquire wide receiver Amari Cooper in a trade with Dallas. Cooper will be Cleveland’s No. 1 wide receiver, a spot that opened when Odell Beckham Jr. forced his way out last season.
Shortly after getting Cooper from the Cowboys for a fifth- and sixth-round pick, the Browns gave Landry permission to seek a trade.
Now, as a free agent, he’ll have his choice where to go and there will likely be numerous teams interested in signing a proven, dependable veteran with 688 career catches.
As the Browns fell way short of expectations in 2021, Landry had his worst season, with career lows in receptions (53), yards (570) and touchdowns (two) while being slowed by a knee injury. He had caught at least 72 passes in each of his previous seven seasons.
Landry suffered the knee injury on Sept. 19 against Houston. The 29-year-old missed five games — he had missed just one in his previous seven seasons combined — and wasn’t the same when he came back.
Also, Landry, who had been instrumental in helping change Cleveland’s culture after arriving via trade from the Miami Dolphins in 2018, was upset by his good friend Beckham’s release in November and didn’t speak to the media for the remainder of the season.
Extra points
… The Arizona Cardinals are bringing back James Conner on a three-year deal, rewarding the running back for a stellar 2021 season that included a franchise-record 18 total touchdowns.
… The Green Bay Packers signed outside linebacker Preston Smith to a contract extension and released outside linebacker Za’Darius Smith and offensive lineman Billy Turner in a flurry of moves before the start of the free-agency period.
… The Buffalo Bills signed center Mitch Morse to a two-year contract extension and released offensive lineman Daryl Williams in a pair of moves Monday which freed up much-needed salary cap space entering the NFL’s free agency period.
… Miami Dolphins pass rusher Emmanuel Ogbah has agreed to a four-year contract with the team that could be worth $65 million, and running back Chase Edmonds has agreed to a two-year, $12.6 million deal.
… Haason Reddick and the Philadelphia Eagles have agreed to terms on a $45 million, three-year contract that includes $30 million guaranteed with a maximum value of $49.5 million, according to a source familiar with knowledge of the deal.