Adam Schefter dropped a small bomb prior to the Chicago Bears kickoff in Jacksonville when he reported that several executives around the league believe the team should and probably will re-sign Mitch Trubisky. That narrative was only strengthened by his performance Sunday. He finished with 265 yards passing including two passing touchdowns and also a rushing touchdown. Chicago crushed the Jaguars 41-17 for their third win in a row.
Trubisky is now 6-2 on the season as the starter. A reality that raises questions about why the Bears benched him in the first place. For the season he’s thrown 16 touchdowns to seven interceptions. A better TD-to-INT ratio than his career-best season in 2018. One could make a valid argument he’s playing his best football to date.
The big question is whether it’s enough.
The Bears don’t have a lot of cap space to work with in 2021. So they need to be absolutely sure about Trubisky as their best option. Is there no way they can do better? Answering this is a matter of perception. Some might see a potential 1st round pick as an upgrade long-term. Others believe the low draft position makes that unlikely. Free agency and the trade market are expensive.
It really does appear as if Trubisky, for all the ups and downs might be the guy. Could another team make a strong offer in free agency? Maybe but that feels unlikely. The market for him as a starter will be limited thanks to a strong draft class. Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune seems to think that and Trubisky’s improvement will result in the two sides working out a deal.
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“There’s clear growth and marked improvement. The challenge is determining how much. If I had to venture a guess right now — it’s simply too early to get a clear picture of what the market will look like when late February and March roll around — I’d say the odds are the Bears figure they’re best off trying to re-sign Trubisky.”
Mitch Trubisky extension has some extra motivation to it
The Bears would do well to make their determination quickly on this subject. He won’t be the only offensive priority going into next offseason. Star wide receiver Allen Robinson will also be a free agent. With only one franchise tag at their disposal, in order to retain both they’d have to sign one to an extension. With Robinson feeling like a long shot for that as of now, the best course of action would be for the Bears to secure Trubisky first.
What would that look like though? Obviously handing him a full extension at $30 million or more is out of the question. No team in their right mind would do that given the level of competition the Bears have played this month. A more likely scenario is something akin to a three-year deal. One with most of the guaranteed money up front. This would give the Bears an early out after one year if it turns out Mitch Trubisky really hasn’t turned a corner.
That way they can save the tag for Robinson.
It’s the best scenario they can hope for if retaining the QB is indeed their goal. The problem is it will likely come at a price. Chicago will require a lot of cap space to make those two moves work. Cap space they won’t have on hand. So they’ll have to find it. That could mean gutting a large section of their defense. Older veterans like Kyle Fuller and Akiem Hicks may get sacrificed.
Not an easy decision but this is the reality the Bears find themselves in.
