Will they or won’t they? That seems to be the question a lot of people in the media can’t get an answer to regarding the Chicago Bears and Mitch Trubisky. Common sense would say the team is done with the 26-year old. Four seasons was enough of an experience to realize he wasn’t what they’re looking for at quarterback. Yet the discussion refuses to die. Probably because the Bears didn’t let it.
GM Ryan Pace has maintained since the end of last season that “everything is on the table” regarding the QB situation. Does this include a possible Trubisky return? Pace didn’t rule it out. Nor did he offer any indication it will happen. Few in the business are better at double talk than him and apparently, it has driven the national media to a near psychosis.
This much was made clear on Sunday.
It started with a report from ESPN, detailing various notes around the league. When the subject of the Bears quarterback issue came up? They had an update on the Trubisky situation. According to Dan Graziano and Jeremy Fowler, the belief is the team is done with the quarterback and the feeling is mutual. Both sides are ready for a fresh start.
“The plan is to move on from Mitchell Trubisky — we’re told the door is open slightly but a source said the ship has sailed for both parties. The source sounded happy for Trubisky to get out of Chicago after all the heat he took.”
Straightforward, right? Well, it seems not everybody is hearing the same thing. Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk put out a swift reply to ESPN’s report. In it, he made clear that what they said is not true. His own sources indicate the Bears have made no such decision on Trubisky. They remain open to the possibility of him returning. No final decision is made.
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“Contrary to an ESPN report that the Bears plan to let Trubisky leave via free agency, a source with direct knowledge of the situation tells PFT that a Trubisky return has not been ruled out. Likewise, Trubisky has not been informed that the Bears won’t attempt to bring him back.”
This Mitch Trubisky situation reminds you of one truth
The Bears remain effective at keeping the media guessing in regards to their real intentions. Pace has made that a hallmark of his tenure in Chicago. There are no leaks in his ship. Only information that he approves gets released out of Halas Hall. That is why trades like the one for Trubisky in 2017 or Khalil Mack in 2018 were such massive bombshells. Nobody saw them coming.
The less the media knows about your true intentions, the better. It keeps the other teams around the NFL guessing. What are the Bears planning? Will it be a huge trade for Russell Wilson? Are they hoping to land a top rookie QB in the draft or is running it back with Mitch Trubisky the play? This sequence between ESPN and Florio says it all. Nobody has any idea and that’s just the way Pace wants it.
Following the trail of common sense is how one must approach this.
Chicago knows what Trubisky is. Without a perfect situation around him, he’s an 8-8 quarterback who can’t win in the playoffs. People have likely seen his peak. The Bears need to win in 2021. Their chances of doing that with him and a defense that will be another year older aren’t great. They want to upgrade that position. They need to upgrade that position. Staying the course would help nobody.