As the rumors involving which quarterback the Chicago Bears could potentially trade for continue, causing many to forget that Mitchell Trubisky will not be coming back. Trubisky will enter free agency, and there have not been any significant rumors hinting at a potential return to the Bears for the 2021 season. It is unfortunate as although the quarterback feel short of expectations, fortunate was never really on his side during his tenure with the Bears.

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

— Grizz. (@GrizzlyGridiron) February 9, 2021

Trubisky Had Arguably The Worst Situation For Rookie

When the Bears drafted Trubisky with the second overall selection in the 2017 NFL Draft, many analysts all agreed that he was the rawest of the three first-round quarterbacks and would be best sitting to sit for his rookie season. Other quarterbacks such as Deshaun Watson and Pat Mahomes had more favorable situations that benefited their growth, Chicago’s rookie quarterback was named the starting quarterback by week five. Furthermore, Trubisky was also tasked with working with the coaching staff that was in a must-win situation.

With the Bears’ in a must-win situation throughout the 2017 season to save then head coach John Fox’s job, Trubisky had no supporting staff on the offense. His offensive coordinator was Dowell Loggains, who has struggled as a coordinator to develop effective game plans. The best player on offense for the 2017 Chicago Bears was running back Jordan Howard, who rushed for 1,122 but struggled significantly with dropped passes.

Mitchell Trubisky did a really good job moving the Bears down the field and into field goal position. And, he did it without Howard, Cohen and Shaheen. NONE of them were on the field for the final drive. Keep running John Fox out there. It's bordering on absurd.

— David Kaplan (@thekapman) November 19, 2017

The biggest thing that hindered Trubisky in his rookie season was the lack of a talented supporting cast. The Bears’ top two wide receivers in Cameron Meredith and Kevin White would be on injured reserve by week two, and tight end Zach Miller would suffer a career-ending knee injury in the rookie quarterback’s fourth start. Only receivers Josh Bellamy and White would be the only two receivers brought back for the 2018 season. The North Carolina quarterback would only pass for seven touchdowns during his rookie season and only pass for over 200 yards in just three of his 12 starts.

#Bears Cameron Meredith knee injury. pic.twitter.com/qcmvTgiRYi

— Aldo Soto (@AldoSoto21) August 27, 2017

A Lot of Trubisky’s Best Moments Were Ruined By Others

Despite the odds Trubisky faced during his rookie season, he still has had outstanding moments over his four-year career that have been forgotten. In each of his first three seasons, the Bears’ quarterback led the team on several game-winning drives, only for the defense to lose the lead or for the kicker to miss a field goal. Connor Barth missed a game-tying field goal at the end of regulation against the Detroit Lions in Trubisky’s rookie season. In 2019, despite the Bears’ defense blowing a nine-point lead against the Chargers, their quarterback put the team in field goal range to set up a game-winning field goal only to have kicker Eddy Pineiro miss.

Eddy Pineiro's 41 yd FG attempt sails wide left and #Chargers win the game 17-16. Third straight loss for #Bears.

— Brad Biggs (@BradBiggs) October 27, 2019

The 2018 season featured several moments where Trubisky put the Bears in a position to win, only for others to cost the team a victory. Against the Dolphins in week six, the Bears’ quarterback threw a clutch 29-yard touchdown pass to Anthony Miller with three minutes left to give the team a 28-21 lead. The Dolphins would tie the game on the very next offensive play scoring on a 75-yard touchdown pass. Chicago would later lose the game in overtime after kicker Cody Parkey one of many attempts in 2018.

In the team’s Wild Card playoff game against the Eagles, Trubisky had an impressive performance passing for over 300 yards and leading the team on several scoring drives of 60 yards or longer. The second-year quarterback put the team in position for a game-winning kick, only for Parkey to miss his infamous “double-doink” kick costing the Bears the game. The missed kick completely overshadowed and robbed Trubisky of praise and accreditation for his game-winning performance.

Even in his second playoff performance against the Saints this year, Trubisky’s play was hampered by others. Wide receiver Javon Wims dropped a 40-yard touchdown pass, which was arguably the best pass thrown by the quarterback during his tenure with the Bears. Wims dropped a perfect throw that would have tied the game at seven in the first quarter. The touchdown could have potentially changed the momentum and outcome of the game.

Matt Nagy and Fans Never Seemed Fully Invested In The Quarterback

When general manager Ryan Pace hired Matt Nagy as head coach in 2018, the main reason for his hiring was to develop Trubisky. Nagy oversaw his quarterback’s growth as he made the Pro Bowl in 2018. The relationship between the quarterback and the head coach seemed to decline following the 2018 season. Trubsiky’s play regressed as the offense struggled significantly at times during the previous two seasons. Nagy even benched his quarterback in week three after an interception against the Falcons. The benching was questionable as many believed the Bears’ head coach was too quick in benching his quarterback in favor of Nick Foles.

Mitchell Trubisky was benched. Team says it is not injury related.

— NFL Update (@MySportsUpdate) September 27, 2020

Many questioned Nagy’s ability to develop Trubisky and work around the quarterback’s strengths, which never really happened. The Bears’ quarterback was at his best with bootleg passes and half-field reads, but those play designs were not apart of the offense until after the head coach gave up play-calling duties. Nagy only accepted responsibility for his offensive’s shortcomings after several quarterbacks had similarly poor results under his play-calling.

Let's give credit where credit is due. Mitchell Trubisky looks WAY better with Bill Lazor calling plays than he did with Matt Nagy.

Lazor is able to play to Mitch's strengths, and Mitch has looked a lot more confident under center because of it. Kudos to the two of them.

— Jacob Infante (@jacobinfante24) December 20, 2020

Fans were no better as they were quick to point out Trubisky’s shortcomings and poor performances. Bears’ fans and the national media consistently comparing the quarterback’s stats to that of either Mahomes or Watson and always mocked him for being drafted before both of them. Even when Trubisky had stellar games, fans acknowledged the performance but followed up the acknowledgment by noting how bad the opposing defenses were in those games.

Unlike other polarizing Bears’ quarterbacks, Trubisky did not have either a negative attitude or a poor work ethic. Many teammates praised him as a great teammate and a dedicated, hard worker. Fans overlooked this and still looked negatively at Trubisky and were always quick to point his flaws. Had he been draft after both Watson and Mahomes, it is intriguing to see how he would have been received by fans the last four years.

how is Nickelodeon going to explain to kids that the Bears drafted Mitch Trubisky over Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson

— Rodger Sherman (@rodger) January 10, 2021

The former North Carolina quarterback will get a fresh start with free agency in March and will have another chance to prove himself to a new team and fanbase. Although Trubisky’s flaws are his fault and need to be corrected by himself, he never had any good fortune in Chicago. Whether others overshadowed his best moments, fans being very fast to view him negatively, or a coach failing to play to his strengths, the former Bears’ quarterback deserved better during his Chicago tenure.