Everybody was convinced the end of Mitch Trubisky was at hand back in September. That fateful Sunday afternoon when Matt Nagy pulled the 26-year old off the field in favor of Nick Foles. It was the benching many felt was coming. The Chicago Bears head coach was showing more and more frustration with Trubisky and the Atlanta Falcons game was the final straw. There was no going back.
Except that is not how things work in the NFL. Change is inevitable in this league and it’s always smart to expect the unexpected. Sure enough, Foles went 2-5 in his seven starts for the team and punctuated that by getting hurt right before the bye week against Minnesota. This necessitated the move back to Trubisky as the starter. Many felt it would do much of anything to alter the Bears’ fortunes.
Turns out they needed to have a little more faith.
After a pair of tough losses to Green Bay and Detroit, Chicago seemed to find some sort of groove. They crushed the Houston Texans 36-7 and then outpaced the Vikings in Minnesota 33-27. Just like that they were back to 7-7 and watched as the Arizona Cardinals fell to San Francisco on Saturday. After losing six-straight games, the Bears just need to win their final two of the regular season to make the playoffs.
Trubisky is a major catalyst of this turnaround. The offense has averaged 31 points per game since he returned as the starter and he’s thrown eight touchdowns to just three interceptions. This sudden emergence has many around the league talking according to ESPN insider Adam Schefter. What looked like a lost cause has now become a legitimate case for the Bears to retain their young quarterback.
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“In the eyes of some NFL executives, Trubisky recently has played some of the best football of his career, making a case as to why Chicago will need to consider re-signing him…
…One NFL executive told ESPN this week that, with the way Trubisky has played down the stretch, Chicago now will have to consider bringing him back — a possibility that seemed hard to imagine after he was benched this season…
…The stretch drive has impressed some executives around the league, but one person pointed out that Trubisky’s recent success is not all that new.”
Mitch Trubisky has a big opportunity to make a statement
A lot of people remain skeptical. They feel Trubisky has merely taken advantage of an easier schedule lately. The Bears have played three games in a row against defenses ranked in the bottom 10 of the NFL. Their imminent matchup with the Jacksonville Jaguars will be no different as they’re 30th in total yards and 32nd in points allowed. Obviously, the quarterback can’t control the schedule but it must be taken into account.
If this proves true, it becomes interesting how the Bears will approach it. Mitch Trubisky isn’t likely to command top quarterback money. That would be foolish. The question is whether the team wants to retain him on a one-year deal or try for something a little more long-term but that would still protect the team in case this stretch is indeed a mirage.
One obvious option would be the franchise tag.
Chicago could use that on him and be guaranteed another year with no hooks for 2022. At the same time, doing that could end up losing them Allen Robinson in the process. He’ll also be a free agent. So perhaps the best course of action is offering Trubisky some sort of multi-year deal with all the guarantees up front. This would basically make it a one-year deal with an option for two more depending on how he performs.
If he succeeds? Great. The Bears can keep him at a manageable price. If he flops? They can dump him in 2022 with minimal dead money.