Steelers QB Mitch Trubisky is replacing a future Hall of Famer, but he knows he has the most important people already in his corner

Just do what you do.

Those five words will appear on Mitch Trubisky’s phone Sunday morning, sometime before he takes the field for his regular-season debut as Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback.

Trubisky will receive several text messages before the 1 p.m. game against the Cincinnati Bengals. His two brothers, his sister, his mother and his wife will weigh in, sending along words of inspiration.

“Everybody says different things,” Trubisky said. “My dad has kept that consistent message.”

Just do what you do.

It’s a ritual that began in high school before Trubisky became a star quarterback in Mentor, Ohio, a town on Lake Erie located 25 miles northeast of Cleveland. It continued during his four years in college at North Carolina, his four seasons with the Chicago Bears and his one year with the Buffalo Bills.

Whether he was starting or watching from the sidelines, Trubisky knew the text would arrive on game day. He will await its arrival again Sunday before a start that could resurrect his career.

Dave Trubisky declined to talk about the routine that has turned into superstition. He told the Tribune-Review that he didn’t want to detract from his son’s first game with his new team, but he explained the rationale behind the text in a 2017 interview with the Chicago Tribune.

“That was just my way of getting him ready for the game or trying to calm him down and just keep him straight,” Dave Trubisky said.

It apparently works.

“It lets me know in the back of my mind, this is what I do — play football,” Trubisky said. “I love this game, and it’s great knowing the people that care about you so much send you that little message.”

Trubisky will have the weight of a historic franchise riding on his shoulders when he takes the field for the Steelers. After all, he will be forever known as the quarterback that succeeded Ben Roethlisberger, who carved a Hall of Fame career before retiring in January after 18 seasons.

Trubisky turned 28 in August and is entering his sixth season in the league. By that stage of his career, Roethlisberger had led the Steelers to two Super Bowl titles and, that season, was guiding them to a third appearance.

Trubisky is challenged by meeting the expectations laid down by Roethlisberger.

“You just hope to continue that,” he said. “For me, that’s coming in here and being myself and playing my game. … What No. 7, what Big Ben did here was special, and we want to continue that winning legacy.”

Like Roethlisberger, Trubisky grew up in an Ohio town where the rooting interests leaned toward the Browns. He also became a prolific passer as a senior, earning the state’s Mr. Football Award in 2012 after leading Mentor to the regional championship.

Unlike Roethlisberger, who stayed home and attended Miami (Ohio), Trubisky spurned an offer from Ohio State and accepted a scholarship to North Carolina after being heavily recruited by coach Larry Fedora.

“He was playing for a team that didn’t have a tremendous history, but he willed his team to win,” said Fedora, who currently is a head coach in the USFL. “They were beating teams they weren’t supposed to. It was impressive how he led the team. They won a lot of games. His skill set was obvious, but when I watched the way he interacted with teammates when the offense was on the sideline, I thought that was impressive, too. He was a true leader.”

Trubisky, though, had difficulty getting on the field at North Carolina. After using a redshirt in his freshman year, he spent the next two seasons backing up Marquise Williams. Fedora admitted that Trubisky was the superior passer, but Williams had experience and North Carolina was winning games.

Trubisky attempted 125 passes over 18 appearances — fewer than seven a game — spanning his redshirt sophomore and junior seasons.

When Williams exhausted his eligibility, Trubisky finally got his chance to shine. In 2016, he led North Carolina to an 8-5 record and Sun Bowl appearance. He set school single-season records for passing yards (3,748), touchdowns (30) and total offense (4,056 yards).

In a home game against Pitt, Trubisky shredded the Panthers for 453 yards, five touchdowns and no interceptions. He led the Tar Heels back from a 13-point fourth-quarter deficit, throwing the winning touchdown with two seconds left in a 37-36 victory.

“He’s a playmaker,” Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi said. “I think he’ll be a great fit in (the Steelers’) offense. I don’t want to jinx him.”

Trubisky didn’t win any postseason college football awards, but the qualities he displayed with his mobility and accuracy made him one of the top passers in his draft class, and he elected to forgo his final season of eligibility. The Bears thought so highly of Trubisky that they traded up one spot and selected him with the No. 2 overall pick.

Considering Trubisky was a one-year starter in college, Fedora wondered if it was too much, too soon for his prized quarterback.

“I was worried for him,” he said. “He and I had these conversations about it. We got into contact with the other quarterbacks in the NFL who had the same opportunities when they were juniors.”

Among the quarterbacks Fedora and Trubisky reached out to were Andrew Luck and Peyton Manning. Luck was tasked with following in Manning’s gigantic footsteps with the Indianapolis Colts.

“One thing that stood out with me was they both said the NFL is not a developmental league,” Fedora said. “It’s hard for a quarterback to grow at that level. I was worried about that for him.”

The concerns turned out to be founded. Trubisky made his first NFL start five games into his rookie season. He went 4-8 that year and threw as many interceptions (seven) as touchdown passes. He went 11-3 as a starter the next year and led the Bears to the playoffs while earning a Pro Bowl selection, but he regressed in 2019 and the Bears traded for veteran Nick Foles in 2020 to compete for the starting job.

Trubisky went 6-3 as a starter in his fourth — and final — season with the Bears and appeared in his second postseason game. To fans and the organization, it wasn’t enough — not compared to other members of his draft class. Trubisky’s crime was not being as prolific as Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes (league MVP, two Super Bowl appearances) or as dynamic as Deshaun Watson (three Pro Bowl selections).

“If you’re not the MVP or not winning Super Bowls, fans are always going to have something to complain about,” said guard James Daniels, who was Trubisky’s teammate in Chicago. “It’s a passionate fan base, and you’re glad that they had such high expectations of us. If you’re a good player — and Mitch is a good player — there should be high expectations.”

With the Bears declining Trubisky’s fifth-year option, he became a free agent in 2021 and settled for a job as Josh Allen’s backup in Buffalo. After serving a year as an understudy, Trubisky was ready for a chance to start again. He jumped at the Steelers’ two-year, $14.285 million contract offer.

“I feel like he’s a more mature player,” Daniels said. “He’s older, of course, but I feel like the more you play and get to know the game and learn about it, the better you can become. I’ve seen him grow.”

At North Carolina, Trubisky’s inexperience was the reason he didn’t crack the lineup until his third season. His 50 career starts — and 29-21 record — in Chicago gave him the advantage in a competition with the Steelers that included incumbent backup Mason Rudolph and rookie first-rounder Kenny Pickett.

Trubisky not only earned the starting job but he also was named a team captain — the first time since the 1970 NFL merger the Steelers awarded a captaincy to a first-year player.

“I feel like I’ve always been a leader, but you can grow into those things as well,” Trubisky said. “It’s me being myself. And it comes with the quarterback position. You’re leading the offense, but you want to lead the whole team as well. You want to be the guy that day in and day out guys can look to and say, ‘Hey, if I do it the way this guy does it, we’re going to be heading in the right direction.’

“I just try to do that every day and be consistent.”

If Trubisky needs a reminder when it comes to game day, he knows he can find it on his phone.

Just do what you do.

“It’s a message that reminds me to keep things simple and continue to play the game that I love,” Trubisky said. “No matter what, I know the people I love are supporting me.”

Replacing a legend

Here’s a look at how quarterbacks have fared when replacing a Hall of Famer over the past 30 seasons:

Big shoes to fill

Here’s a look at how quarterbacks have fared when replacing a future Hall of Famer over the past three seasons: