Thus far the company line has remained the same for the Chicago Bears. They still believe in Mitch Trubisky. He’ll have his opportunity to keep his starting job in a competition starting next month. Yet the bulk of actions this offseason suggest their words ring hollow. They traded for Nick Foles. They declined Trubisky’s 5th-year option. Even their offseason moves suggest they’re catering to Foles more than him whether it’s improving the tight end position or adding more speed at wide receiver.
Keep in mind Foles loves targeting tight ends and is a respected deep thrower.
Nothing about what the Bears have done suggests they believe Trubisky can or will win this job. In fact, one rumor persists that they tried to avoid a competition altogether. Jeff Hughes of Da Bears Blog, the same man who broke the signing of offensive line coach Juan Castillo, has remained steadfast with one piece of information for months. That the Bears tried and failed to trade the 25-year old QB back in the spring.
“This summer, Trubisky fights for his football life. If, as expected, he loses the starting job to Foles, it’s unlikely he’ll ever get a consistent opportunity to start in the league again. (Hell, the Bears tried to trade Mitch before the start of free agency and even they were surprised by how little interest they found.) First-round flop quarterbacks become backups for a bit and then disappear. Anybody seen Christian Ponder or E.J. Manuel lately? That’s the trajectory Trubisky is going to spend the next few months trying to avoid.”
Trading Mitch Trubisky isn’t overly far-fetched
While there is no way to give this story too much momentum since no other outlets have confirmed or denied it, one can at least wonder if it makes sense. Most people will say there is no way GM Ryan Pace would’ve done that. He loves Mitch. Well if he loved the QB that much, he would’ve resisted trading for Foles at all. Also one must not forget that Pace also kicked Leonard Floyd, another prized former 1st round pick, to the curb this offseason. This despite early assurances the team still believed in him.
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So is it possible the Bears would’ve dumped Trubisky if given the chance? Yeah, it is. The problem is there was only one viable way to do it. The nature of his rookie contract made it where they got no salary cap relief by cutting him. Only a trade was possible. It would’ve netted around $4.4 million in cap space. However, a solid draft class and loaded crop of veteran QB free agents most likely killed whatever market he would’ve had at other times.
The bottom line is he’s still with the Bears. He’s pissed off and working harder than ever. Maybe the winds of fate shift his way and the light suddenly goes on. That would be a first for this franchise. Otherwise, expect Foles to trot onto the field this September in Detroit.
