People are struggling to find reasons at this point. Reasons why the Chicago Bears have somehow convinced themselves that Mitch Trubisky deserves another year as the starter. Pretty much everybody with educated eyes including former coaches and players believes he’s nothing more than an average quarterback who has the look of a decent backup. Yet GM Ryan Pace wasted no time in declaring his intention for the 25-year old to remain in charge of the offense for 2020.
Most people believe this is simply the act of a man who can’t afford to admit he made a mistake. Longtime NFL analyst Rich Eisen said Pace would never do it because he can’t. It would crush any credibility and trust he has with Bears ownership. His best choice is to double down this offseason and sink every nickel possible into the offense, trying to fix the problems that popped up like the running game and tight end. Then pray Trubisky shows something he hasn’t to this point.
It’s all about ego. Except maybe it isn’t. At least not entirely.
One thing people haven’t stopped to assess at this point is the landscape in front of Pace. It’s easy to say he has to find an upgrade over Trubisky. Finding one is another thing entirely. Has anybody stopped to take a true look at the 2020 crop of quarterbacks?
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If one were being honest, it kind of sucks.
Options better than Mitch Trubisky are out of reach
Saying the Bears need to upgrade at quarterback is easy. Actually doing so is incredibly hard. There is no more precious resource in the NFL and they’re hard to find. No organization knows this better. A great deal of luck is involved, but also a good sense of timing. Breaking down the upcoming crop of options, one would realize that this just isn’t the right time. At least not for any sort of bold move on their part.
The Unattainables
Do upgrades over Trubisky exist in 2020? Yes. The problem is none of the obvious ones are likely to be available. Tom Brady, even in his elderly twilight won’t leave New England. The same goes for Drew Brees in New Orleans. Both will either remain the starters next season or retire. Chicago doesn’t exactly have the foundation of an offense that would entice them. Dak Prescott won’t get out of Dallas either. They have the franchise tag ready if needed so the Pro Bowler isn’t going anywhere.
As far as the draft goes? There is only one surefire stud in the 2020 class and that’s Joe Burrow of LSU. He is a virtual lock to win the Heisman and has played a phenomenal year. It is those reasons why he will be the #1 overall pick in the draft, regardless of who makes it. Every other top prospect has serious question marks. Justin Herbert is erratic for Oregon. Tua Tagovailoa has injury concerns and might return to Alabama anyway.
So what about trades? Derek Carr is rumored to be on thin ice with Jon Gruden in Las Vegas. The problem is it would take at least a 1st round pick and probably more to get the Pro Bowler. The Bears already gave up two 1st rounders for Khalil Mack in 2018. Giving up more at this point, in addition to that large contract just isn’t feasible.
The Maybes
So if getting the obvious options to move on from Trubisky aren’t possible, that leaves the Bears with nothing but a long list of maybes. Guys who might be better than him if they were to come in, but are far from guaranteed. Teddy Bridgewater is a popular name on the free agent market. He had a strong showing as a backup in New Orleans, going 5-0 in 2019. At the same time, he had the benefit of a top 5 offensive line and threw to the best wide receiver in football in Michael Thomas.
Not to mention having an elite play caller in Sean Payton in his ear. Paying him over $20 million a year is a dangerous investment.
Philip Rivers is the most successful quarterback in Chargers history. He too is about to be a free agent and made it clear he’s open to playing elsewhere. By name alone he’d be an upgrade right? Well, not necessarily. Rivers just turned 38-years old and he looked every bit of that for much of 2019. His 23 touchdown passes were the lowest total he’d posted in 12 years. This while throwing 20 interceptions. The sign of a player who appears on the decline. Can a guy at that age who has played most of his games in warm weather handle Chicago? Doesn’t feel like it.
Marcus Mariota?
Case Keenum?
Both quarterbacks have had brief instances of strong play intermixed with lots and lots of average. Basically they can’t be called that much better than Trubisky. The trade market is much the same. Andy Dalton, who is widely considered an obvious option as the Bengals prepare to draft Burrow, is 32 and finished this past season with a 78.3 passer rating. Is paying him $17.7 million worth it?
Nick Foles is a hot name as well but his current contract would cost the Bears over $20 million in cap space. There is no telling who they’d get too. The former Super Bowl MVP or the career backup? The price doesn’t feel worth the risk.
The Gambles
After that, it’s basically just a long list of shots in the dark. Jameis Winston can put up big numbers but is a turnover machine. Eli Manning has two Super Bowl rings but hasn’t looked like that player in years. The draft? Chicago has no 1st round pick so they’d be gambling on 2nd round options at best. Buzz on this upcoming 2020 quarterback class is, shall we say, subdued. There isn’t a lot of excitement outside of the two or three guys at the top.
Jalen Hurts and Jake Fromm have tons of intangibles in their favor, but both are considered average talents. Jacob Eason is a big guy with a strong arm. However, he suffers from consistency issues and has a bad tendency to stare down his receivers. The Bears already have that with Trubisky. Beyond them, it’s mid and late-round picks. Long shots at best.
Then there is Josh Rosen. The guy was the 10th overall pick in 2018. He obviously has talent and carries himself with confidence. However, he’s been trapped on two of the worst teams in the NFL for two-straight years. Miami would likely be open to trading him, but it’s hard to know if he is any real threat to Trubisky at this point. In 16 career starts, he has 12 touchdowns and 19 interceptions.
This is where the Bears are at. The obvious escape plans are impossible. Most of the maybes aren’t worth their price tags. The gambles don’t feel like solutions at all. Merely spending valuable resources on fruitless rolls of the dice. Pace will look to add new faces to the quarterback room, sure. However, he’ll do it at the Bears’ price tags.
Less because he doesn’t want to move on from Trubisky and more because the time just isn’t right.
