Three years later and people are still talking about it. The Mitch Trubisky trade remains one of the craziest moments in recent NFL draft memory. The day Ryan Pace put his reputation on the line by trading up from #3 overall to #2 in order to select the talented but inexperienced quarterback out of North Carolina. This despite having the far more proven Deshaun Watson and Patrick Mahomes on the board.
It’s a decision fans can’t stop thinking about to this day. Mahomes is already an MVP and Super Bowl champion. Watson is one of the best in the league as well. Trubisky? He’s just desperately clinging to his job as Nick Foles arrives from Jacksonville to compete with him. People everywhere keep asking the same question.
Why did Pace feel so compelled to move up for Trubisky when pretty much everybody is certain he would’ve been there at #3? Most chalk it up to the GM bidding against himself, seeing ghosts that weren’t there. However, it might not be that simple. Another factor was in play people don’t know about according to Kalyn Kahler of Bleacher Report.
His name was Peyton Manning.
“In 2017, the Bears brass was interested in finding out what Manning was doing, even though he had been out of the game for a year.
Manning had formed a relationship with North Carolina quarterback Mitchell Trubisky, who had sought Manning’s advice on whether he should declare for the draft or return to school. Chicago, slated to pick third, was in need of a quarterback, and had its aim set on Trubisky. The Browns, though, also were rumored to like him and had the No. 1 pick. They too had a connection to Manning through owner Jimmy Haslam, a major Tennessee booster and someone who has known Manning since his college days playing for the Volunteers.
A source familiar with the situation says the Bears personnel staff wanted to know if Manning was saying good things about Trubisky to Haslam. Enough to convince the Browns to go quarterback with the first pick? The Bears didn’t necessarily need Manning’s opinion on Trubisky (though then-head coach John Fox had already called to ask him that earlier in the process), but they feared the power that a recommendation from Manning might have in the hands of a draft rival.”
Bears move for Mitch Trubisky makes a little more sense now
Things come into focus a little bit more now. The Browns were in a tough spot. They couldn’t possibly afford to pass on Myles Garrett, who was the obvious top prospect in the draft. However, they needed a quarterback and word was Haslam was smitten with Trubisky, an Ohio-native. This led to a lot of rumors that Cleveland might try to jump right back up to the #2 spot after taking Garrett to secure Trubisky as well. Remember that they also had the 12th pick in the draft too. Given San Francisco was willing to move down, it’s not crazy to think the Browns could’ve pulled it off.
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That would make Pace’s move easier to understand. He knew this as well, fearing Manning’s good word on Trubisky might compel the Browns to call the 49ers about coming back up. So the Bears GM, who didn’t want to miss out on his guy, did what he had to in order to make sure he got him. Everybody knows what happened from that point on.
Obviously this does not excuse Pace for making a terrible decision. However, it does bring more clarity into what he might’ve been thinking.
