Account
Mahomes, Watson Comparisons 'Never Gonna Leave' Mitchell Trubisky, Says Nagy
May 19, 2020
Mitchell Trubisky will forever be compared to Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson since they were all quarterbacks in the 2017 NFL draft class.
Even his own coach knows it.
"What I would say with Alex [Smith], here's a No. 1 pick in the NFL draft, he's being compared to Aaron Rodgers his whole career," Chicago Bears head coach Matt Nagy said, per Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated. "Same thing, it's never gonna leave Mitchell, being compared to Patrick and Deshaun."
Alex Smith was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2005 NFL draft but was surpassed by Rodgers, who is an all-time great and was the No. 24 pick in the same class.
The same thing has already started to happen to Trubisky, who Chicago traded up to select No. 2 overall before the Kansas City Chiefs chose Mahomes with the No. 10 pick and the Houston Texans drafted Watson at No. 12.
Nagy did say the Bears "know [Trubisky will] step up to the challenge," but it is difficult to envision him ever closing the gap between himself and his fellow draftees.
After all, Chicago had a dominant defense in each of the last two seasons, only to lose in the first round of the playoffs in the 2018 campaign after leading the league in points allowed and finish 8-8 in 2019 even though it was fourth in the same category.
If the Bears had Mahomes or Watson on the other side of the ball while that defense was controlling games? Back-to-back Super Bowls would not have been out of the question.
Instead, Trubisky has underachieved and is facing something Mahomes and Watson surely aren't at this stage of their careers: a battle for the starting quarterback job. Chicago added Nick Foles this offseason and declined the fifth-year option on Trubisky's contract.
That is not exactly a vote of confidence for the No. 2 pick of the 2017 NFL draft, and he may only have the 2020 season to prove himself before the Bears head in a different direction.
Living up to the standard set by Mahomes, who is already a league MVP and Super Bowl champion, and Watson may be out of the question, but Nagy suggested he still believes in Trubisky's ability to "be persistent, stick to it, stay mentally tough."
This year may be his final chance to do so in a Chicago uniform.