The Chicago Bears appear to be well on their way to finding a new quarterback in 2021. Most of the recent rumors surround a possible trade for Carson Wentz. Yet plenty of fans want no part of that, feeling the Eagles quarterback is no better than Mitch Trubisky at this point in his career. In fact, plenty of people are still holding out hope that Trubisky will be back for a fifth season in Chicago.
The belief is that his late surge down the stretch this past season was a sign he can still play good football. It’s a matter of the Bears fully committing to that style of offense and making the proper adjustments for it this offseason. Plus he could probably be had for cheap compared to options like Wentz who carry hefty contracts.
Things are never quite that simple though.
The reality is after four years it seems the Bears have seen enough of Trubisky. According to David Kaplan of ESPN 1000, the team brass has “zero” interest in bringing Trubisky back for another season. Don’t feel too bad about it. Apparently, the feeling is quite mutual as the quarterback has no desire to return as well. It seems both sides are ready for a fresh start.
ESPN1000’s David Kaplan on Trubisky’s Future:
“I have talk to people who are close to Mitchell Trubisky, he has zero interest in coming back here.”
“I’ve also talked to people who are close to Matt Nagy & they have zero interest in him coming back here.”
Per: @thekapman | #NFL pic.twitter.com/PyqldplbEF
— Frank Grizzly (@FrankGrizzly) February 9, 2021
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There shouldn’t be much surprise at this revelation. It was pretty obvious at the end-of-season press conference that head coach Matt Nagy wasn’t keen on another season with Trubisky. He feels he’s done everything he can to get the most from the young quarterback. For his part, it’s likely Trubisky feels Nagy and this coaching staff doesn’t want to build an offense around his strengths.
Mitch Trubisky had his opportunities but couldn’t capitalize
It is rather amazing to think this is where things ended up. Trubisky looked poised for stardom at the end of 2018. He threw for over 300 yards and had the Bears on the cusp of beating the defending champions in the playoffs two years ago. If not for a missed Cody Parkey kick, he would’ve been a hero. Then an ugly performance on opening night against Green Bay seemed to shift the paradigm.
Mitch Trubisky never quite recovered from that loss. He would have better days to be sure but his confidence and playmaking moments gradually diminished. On the surface, his 2020 season wasn’t terrible. A career-high 67% passes completed with 16 touchdowns, eight interceptions, and a 93.5 passer rating in nine starts. Yet those numbers are misleading.
The majority of his games in 2020 were played against bad defenses.
Six were against ones that ranked 27th or worse in the league. He had 11 touchdowns and three interceptions in those games. In the other three against passable-to-good defenses? He had five touchdowns and five interceptions. So it’s safe to say his solid numbers were more a product of the schedule than any true improvement in his game.
This is no doubt why the Bears are ready to move on. They feel Trubisky has likely peaked. Running it back another year would likely just result in more of the same. It’s best for both parties to move on.