Mitch Trubisky Reflects on Bears Career: 'They Wanted Me to Play the Coaches’ Game'

It appears Mitch Trubisky learned more in one season as Josh Allen's backup in Buffalo than four as a starter in Chicago.

Trubisky opened up about the differences in his experiences with the two organizations in an interview with Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated.

“The difference between my experience in Chicago and what I saw in Buffalo is they allow Josh to go out there and play his game,” Trubisky said. “In Chicago, they wanted me to play the coaches’ game. Call it whatever you will, that’s just how it felt to me. That was my experience, from what I saw in Chicago to what I saw in Buffalo.

“My experience in Buffalo, you’re not just going through progressions; you’re seeing the field. Sometimes I’d be on the sidelines, and I’d be like, 'He had a completion right here.' But based on what the defense was doing, he also had [Stefon] Diggs on a deep post and we scored a touchdown. Those are things you’re seeing on the field that you can’t see from the sidelines, and vice versa.”

Trubisky signed a two-year contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers this offseason and is competing with rookie Kenny Pickett for the starting job. It's expected the 27-year-old will at least get the first crack to be the QB1 as Pittsburgh tries to bring along its heir to Ben Roethlisberger along slowly.

Trubisky was the No. 2 pick in the 2017 draft, taken ahead of Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson. He was inconsistent but not an unmitigated disaster, posting a 29-21 record as a starter while throwing for 10,609 yards and 64 touchdowns against 37 interceptions with the Bears.

After the team declined his fifth-year option, Trubisky signed a one-year contract with Buffalo. The Bears moved on to select Justin Fields in the first round of the 2021 draft, and the Ohio State product struggled in his first year as head coach Matt Nagy once again failed to build an offense to accentuate a young quarterback's skill set.

Nagy was fired this offseason.