After essentially sitting out last season as the backup for the Bills, Mitch Trubisky knew he wasn't in a position to demand a starting job in 2022 in the NFL.
In fact, Trubisky expected that no matter where he wound up as a free agent, he'd be competing for a starting job as opposed to being handed one.
As it turned out, Trubisky landed with the Steelers, who signed him to a two-year, $14.285 million contract early in the free agency process.
The Steelers did so with the idea that Trubisky might be the answer as a replacement for retired Ben Roethlisberger. But then the team also doubled down at the position, selecting Pitt's Kenny Pickett in the first round of last month's NFL Draft.
“I really wasn’t surprised,” Trubisky said Tuesday as the Steelers completed the first day of Phase 3 of their OTA sessions at the UPMC-Rooney Sports Complex. “We needed to add to the quarterback room and that's what we did.”
It makes for a more interesting story, but in reality, the Steelers opened these OTA sessions exactly how things might be expected, with Trubisky taking the initial snaps with the first-team unit, followed by Mason Rudolph, then Pickett and, finally, seventh-round pick Chris Oladokun.
But that doesn't mean anything is decided at this point.
And that's fine with Trubisky.
“I knew coming in to the situation, wherever I was going to go, I would have to come in, compete, earn the trust of my teammates and get back on the field with hard work and my talent and being a leader on this team,” Trubisky said. “We didn’t have those (draft) conversations, but I knew it was a possibility wherever I went.”
Trubisky has been in a situation where, while he wasn't handed the quarterback job right out of the gate, he got it quickly when the Bears moved up from the No. 3 spot in the 2017 draft to No. 2 to select him.
"I sat for four games," he said with a wink and a smile when I mentioned that to him.
So, he understands there is pressure to start a first-round quarterback if things don't go well.
But he's also been welcomed in by the city, despite the addition of Pickett, who is something of a hometown hero after having starred at Pitt.
Recently, Roethlisberger invited Trubisky and his family to his home as a welcome-to-Pittsburgh moment. The two talked about a lot of things, and playing quarterback for the Steelers -- and what that means -- was part of the conversation.
"It was so nice of him to open his house and have dinner with him and just have those conversations and get to know him,” Trubisky said. "For him to allow me to get to know him and pick his brain and talk about what it means to be the quarterback of the Pittsburgh Steelers, it really meant a lot to me."
Mike Tomlin has promised an open competition between Trubisky and Rudolph, while also giving Pickett an opportunity to throw his hat into the ring, as well.
That's the way things work when a future Hall of Fame quarterback retires. Rare are the instances where the successor is just handed the job.
"We got two young guys and two vets," said Trubisky, who has 50 career NFL starts, all with the Bears. "There's a lot of ongoing conversations. We're all learning the offense kind of for the first time together.
"We're just pushing each other, competing and it's been a good quarterback room so far. I'm really enjoying it. You're not going to replace a Hall of Famer. You got to come in and be yourself and take it one day at a time. I'm just trying to be me. But you also have that huge respect for the people that came before you. And I have the ultimate respect for Ben and what he's done here. Obviously, Hall of Famer, two Super Bowls, and that's what we're trying to do. We're trying to continue his legacy. Win another Super Bowl. And just keep wanting to get better and build every day."
For Rudolph, who was selected in the third round of the 2018 draft, that chance to compete for the starting job was never a possibility before -- not with Roethlisberger in the building. That's why he, like Trubisky, isn't upset with the additions the Steelers made this offseason.
"Everything I want is still in front of me. I still have an opportunity to compete, to be a starter. I’m not disappointed," Rudolph said of the Steelers' additions this offseason. "I know there’s always going to be competition. I know we’re going to bring guys in. So I’m excited to prepare and practice with my teammates and get on the field.”
That is something for which these sessions are made.
And with two new quarterbacks in the room, it's important to build a rapport with the players around them.
One player with which Trubisky already has that rapport is wide receiver Anthony Miller. Miller was with Trubisky in Chicago, where he was a second-round pick in 2018.
"He's an excellent leader, and I think they're going to give him every shot to be the best he can be," said Miller.
That's all Trubisky can ask.
He's No. 1 for now. Whether he keeps that spot or not is up to him.
"I feel very comfortable," said Trubisky. "I think the staff and the guys around me have just done a great job. Being in the books, studying and picking things up really quickly. I feel very comfortable with it. We've kind of installed everything and then we're going to go through and find out what fits us and the offense, me specifically, and then the rest of the quarterback room so we're just having those conversations. But it's been a good installation period and I'm really enjoying the offense so far."
