Bears Rumors: Mitchell Trubisky, Nick Foles to Have 'Open Competition' at QB

The Chicago Bears are reportedly set to have an open quarterback competition between Mitch Trubisky and Nick Foles next season. 

Jeremy Fowler of ESPN updated the situation, noting that while Trubisky "will have the inside track, nothing is promised."

Trubisky is coming off a miserable third season, throwing for 3,138 yards and 17 touchdowns against 10 interceptions while grading out as one of the worst starting quarterbacks in football. His combination of inaccuracy and inability to push the ball down the field became the focal point of criticism for a Bears team that finished a disappointing 8-8.

That Foles is being brought in to compete for the starting job should serve as no surprise. The Bears shockingly traded a fourth-round pick and absorbed the $21 million guaranteed remaining on Foles' contract in a trade with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Some speculated, given Foles' struggles last season, that Jacksonville would have to give up a draft pick to rid itself of that deal—similar to the Houston Texans and Brock Osweiler in 2017. 

Bears coach Matt Nagy has also spoken about wanting to find an identity for his team next season.

"We got to figure out what our identity is, and that's going to be an objective for us," Nagy told reporters at the combine. "And then last year you heard me say, sometimes it takes five or six weeks. I feel like, personally, that's always the case, but there's a sense of urgency for us going into this year. It needs to happen sooner."

Nagy and Foles have familiarity dating back to the season they spent together with the Eagles in 2012 and Kansas City in 2016. Nagy even lent Foles his car when the quarterback did not have one when they were together with the Chiefs. 

"Nick is about as good of a human being as you'll find. You want to talk about people that do things the right way, somebody that cares about others, somebody that just wants to play for the love of the game," Nagy told reporters of Foles in 2019.

The Bears' decision-makers are also on the clock when it comes to Trubisky. The team hasn't committed to picking up his fifth-year option, which would now be fully guaranteed under the new collective bargaining agreement. Under the previous agreement, fifth-year options were only partially guaranteed.