Trubisky or Bust?
By: Michael Serio
Tags: Covid-19, NFL, Football, Competition, Bears

Should the Bears Extend Trubisky or Test the Free Agent Market?

Over the Bears short 2 game winning streak, they have found themselves back in hunt for the playoffs in the NFC. Along with that, they have provided hope for their fanbase which can only end poorly. Especially with the final game of the season being against the archrival, Green Bay Packers. The Bears playoff hopes may very well come down to week 17 against Green Bay. What would be a poetic finish to a roller coaster ride of a season.

The last two weeks has seen the Bears blowout the Texans and take out division foe, Minnesota Vikings to improve their record to an even 7–7. This puts them behind only the Arizona Cardinals for the final Wild Card spot.

The Bears offense has looked much better over the past 3 weeks since switching back from Nick Foles to week 1 starter, Mitch Trubisky. Trubisky will be a free agent after this season which has been a major question mark for Chicago heading into the offseason. Fans and analysts alike are calling for the Bears to give Trubisky another chance next season, while others believe the Bears should cut the cord on the Trubisky experiment and look to draft a quarterback in 2021, or look for a veteran quarterback through free agency.

I am in the latter camp. I believe the Bears should cut ties with Trubisky and look to free agency and the draft to find our next starting signal caller. I do think Trubisky has done a great job this season. From starting the season and getting credit for the 3–0 start, then getting Benched. Only to be called upon later in the season and performing well.

I have said I love the leader he has proven to be. When things go bad, he is the first to take the blame and say he needs to be better. When things are going well, he is the one to give all credit to his teammates and I love that about him. However, he has run his course with the Bears. I would love to see him thrive with another team, I just don’t think the Bears could bring him back and think anything is going to be different.

We know what we are getting out of Mitch. He has the ability to use his legs to avoid the pass rush and make things happen down field. He has the ability to make tough throws and give his teammates the opportunity to succeed. However, just like any quarterback, he will make his fair share of mistakes. The thing with Mitch is that some of his worst mistakes can be categorized as ‘Rookie mistakes’ and he will be going into his 4th season… Mitch makes mental errors that he should not be making with the experience he has in the NFL.

I don’t hold any ill will toward him, as it was not his fault that the Bears passed up on Patrick Mahomes, and even worse, they traded up one spot from pick #3 to pick #2 to select Mitchell Trubisky out of North Carolina. You cannot hold that against him as with the success of Mahomes and the expectations put on him, he was not necessarily put in the right situation to succeed… Not to mention the offensive line he has been forced to play behind for his young NFL career.

Bottom line is that if the Bears re-sign him to another contract, you are signing someone that you already know can’t get it done for you. You are putting your trust (again) in a guy who simply is not capable of generating the offense necessary to compete in the postseason, let alone lead you into a Superbowl. I love Mitch as much as the next guy, but the time has come. It is time to explore the draft options at QB as well as the 2021 free agency market.

Now the question remains… If they do draft a quarterback or sign one in free agency… Who is the right guy for the job?

There are a few names I have in mind that I would love to see in a Bears uniform next season. Let’s start with the draft.

I would like the Bears to use their 1st and even 2nd round selections to help sure up the offensive line. However, with their 3rd or 4th round selection, I would love to see them look at college quarterbacks.

Some young quarterbacks that could be available in the 3rd to 4th round range include; Mac Jones out of Alabama, Kellen Mond out of Texas A&M or Brock Purdy out of Iowa State. You can’t go wrong drafting a quarterback in each draft. Worst case scenario, you develop them for a year or two to acclimate them to the NFL and your offensive scheme. Either one of the aforementioned quarterbacks should make for a great fit in a Bear uniform and will have the opportunity to develop if the Bears land a quarterback via trade or free agency or if they decide to re-sign Trubisky on a ‘Prove it’ contract.

A few free agents or trade targets I would like the Bears to look at would be Marcus Mariota, Jacoby Brissett or Jameis Winston.

Marcus Mariota looked great when he had to fill in for Derek Carr when he left the game with a groin injury. Mariota looked quick when running the read option or direct quarterback runs. His arm looked better than it did when he was playing with the Titans. I would love for the Bears to explore any opportunity they can to land Mariota. I think he would be a great fit in the Bears offense.

Jacoby Brissett got relegated to the Colts bench after they signed Phillip Rivers. Brissett played well when he was the Colts starter in 2018–19. I think his arm and ability to be mobile in the pocket would make sense on the Bears roster.

Jameis Winston should want out of New Orleans. When Drew Brees went down, they elected to play Taysom Hill over Jameis. That should tell him that he needs to seek another opportunity. What better opportunity than in Chicago where he can be the main man. While he did make his fair share of terrible throws with the Buccaneers, he did throw 30+ touchdowns. That does not happen by accident. Jameis deserves another opportunity as a starting quarterback to prove that he can limit his mistakes and throw a massive amount of touchdown passes. He would help the Bears offense immensely if he were to land in Chicago. Side Note: He recently got contact lenses which would lead one to believe that maybe he couldn’t see during his time in Tampa which led to some of those interceptions… Just a thought.

Other Quarterback options the Bears could look into would be; Former MVP, Cam Newton, the aforementioned Phillip Rivers who will be a free agent after this season, or a possible trade for Teddy Bridgewater if the Panthers are willing to part ways for a reasonable price.

It will be interesting to see what the Bears elect to do this coming offseason. In my opinion, even if the Bears make the playoffs this season, I would like for them to part ways with Trubisky and test out other options. Trubisky has shown that he is not the answer at Quarterback in Chicago so it is time to explore other avenues to see if a new face at QB can propel the Bears back into relevancy.