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Mitchell Trubisky Rumors: Latest on Bears Free Agent Before Free Agency Opens
March 15, 2021
Quarterback Mitchell Trubisky was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2017 draft, a spot usually reserved for surefire things at the position.
However, the 26-year-old's run in Chicago began with media scrutiny over the selection and appears to have ended with a whimper after sharing starting duties with Nick Foles in the 2020 season, with the critics seemingly being proved right about the gamble taken by the Bears front office four years ago.
Trubisky has an opportunity to move on and rewrite his story, but which team is a potential landing spot for the North Carolina product? And is a return to Chicago completely out of the question?
4-and-Out in Chi-Town...or Not
Trubisky never threw for more than 24 touchdowns in any of his four years in Chicago or less than seven interceptions in a season.
He also never played a full 16-game season for the Bears. And he never will, according to ESPN's Dan Graziano and Jeremy Fowler.
"The plan is to move on from Mitchell Trubisky—we're told the door is open slightly but a source said the ship has sailed for both parties," they noted. "The source sounded happy for Trubisky to get out of Chicago after all the heat he took."
However, Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk refuted that report.
"Contrary to an ESPN report that the Bears plan to let Trubisky leave via free agency, a source with direct knowledge of the situation tells PFT that a Trubisky return has not been ruled out," he wrote. "Likewise, Trubisky has not been informed that the Bears won’t attempt to bring him back."
The dueling reports reflect the fluidity of the situation. It is as if the Bears are waiting to see if other pieces fall into place before committing to bringing Trubisky back, with the the one-time No. 2 overall pick becoming a No. 3 or 4 option.
If the Bears don't want him, there may be one team further west willing to bring him in to compete with their current starter.
Denver-Bound?
Graziano and Fowler suggested in the same report, "Trubisky could apply his own heat—perhaps in Denver as competition for Drew Lock."
After a 2019 rookie campaign that saw him complete 64.1 percent of his passes in a five-game sample, Lock regressed in 2020, with his completion percentage dipping to 57.3 while throwing for just 16 touchdowns and having 15 interceptions.
Those numbers, plus questionable decision-making that led to a one-game ineligibility due to failure to adhere to COVID-19 protocols, have left Denver looking for competition for Lock.
Trubisky threw the same number of touchdowns with half the interceptions and at least looked like a quarterback with poise. That wasn't always the case for Lock, who forced things more than he should have and did not play up to the potential he flashed a year earlier.
With a strong running game (fifth in the league with 1,918 yards) powered by Melvin Gordon with Phillip Lindsay supporting him, and rookie wideout Jerry Jeudy exploding onto the scene, the pieces are there for Trubisky to flourish in a way he never did in Chicago.
Less media scrutiny wouldn't hurt, either.