Mitch Trubisky is fast becoming the face of the Chicago Bears franchise. The end of his second season in the NFL saw him travel to the Pro Bowl. The first at his position to do so in 33 years. This after helping guide the Bears to a 12-4 record and a playoff game. It hasn’t all been perfect but it’s clear the 24-year old is making rapid progress under head coach Matt Nagy.
Despite the national negativity, Bears fans know they have easily one of the most talented QBs the organization has had in years. Maybe not up to the physical standards of Jay Cutler, but a solid passer and athlete who helps his cause with a tireless work ethic and elite intangibles. The offense should be in good hands moving forward.
Yet it may be hard to believe that the Bears came extraordinarily close to never even having a chance to draft him. According to Seth Wickersham of ESPN, the Ohio native was the topic of fierce discussion in another war room prior to the 2017 NFL draft and likely would’ve been the #1 overall pick if not for the actions of one man.
Cleveland had eyes for Mitch Trubisky but Hue Jackson tantrum killed it
Two years ago there were strong rumors that the Cleveland Browns were interested in Trubisky. It’s not hard to see why. He was a local product out of Mentor High School who grew up not far outside of Cleveland itself. Drafting him made so much sense. It could be Bernie Kosar all over again. They held the #1 pick in the draft. All they had to do was turn in the card. It didn’t happen though, and Bears fans have Hue Jackson to thank for it.
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“Now there was debate between targeting Texas A&M defensive end Myles Garrett and North Carolina quarterback Mitch Trubisky. Jackson wanted Garrett and one day made his case by taping pictures of Garrett on the glass walls in Haslam’s office as a joke. But Jackson wasn’t kidding when he later vowed to Haslam that he wouldn’t support Trubisky, publicly or privately. The team ended up deciding in favor of Garrett but kept Jackson in the dark about it until shortly before the draft, for reasons unexplained to him.”
Such was the dysfunction with the Browns. Later that year Jackson was forced to turn to rookie QB Deshone Kizer, a move that only helped facilitate their run to a 0-16 record. Then to add insult to injury, they traveled to Chicago late in the season where Trubisky had one of his better games as a rookie. He threw for 193 yards and ran for another 44 including a touchdown. This despite being sacked five times, including once by Garrett.
Chicago won easily 20-3.
Yet the best part? Jackson finally did sign off on drafting a QB #1 overall. That came a year later when the Browns selected Baker Mayfield out of Oklahoma. A move that in all likelihood helped to accelerate his firing since Mayfield became one of the first players to tune him out and grow openly unhappy with his coaching. Something that is virtually guaranteed to not have occurred if that had been Trubisky instead.
