Mitchell Trubisky’s future in Chicago may depend on how far he takes the Bears in the 2020 playoffs.
NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported NFL GameDay Morning that there is no certainty that the Bears will bring Trubisky back in 2021, but if the quarterback wins on Sunday at the New Orleans Saints and continues to win, he might change his mind.
Trubisky’s future in Chicago was already in doubt after the team turned down its fifth-year option and acquired Nick Foles via trade before the 2020 season. Trubisky won his first two games when he was once named starter, but was selected halfway through a Week 3 game against the Atlanta Falcons. Still, with Foles leading 2-5 and spearheading a mid-season six before an injury in Week 12, the Bears might not have been in the playoffs without Trubisky being on point.
The fourth-year QB led an offense that finally found a groove in December, with 30 plus points in all four games of the month and 3-1. Trubisky has benefited from a squad that found its running backs due to a healthy attacking line and the outbreak of second-year striker David Montgomery in late season. Trubisky excelled on the game action with an offense playing downhill, and his newfound confidence earned him his job and finished 6-3 as the Bears starter this season.
The Bears took an everyday seventh place finish, not by a win in Week 17, but by a loss in Arizona.
Trubisky’s tenure has come with a lot of pressure since the Bears traded around him overall no. 2 in the draft in 2017. Constant memories of who the Bears gave up on getting him contributed to the pressure, but perhaps the turbulent events of this season led Trubisky to play loose with nothing else to lose. Against the second-seeded Saints, Trubisky still has a difficult hill to climb if he wants to stay ahead in Chicago’s QB.
Trubisky set a 29-21 record as a starter during his four seasons in Chicago and this afternoon is his second playoff game (0-1). The 26-year-old threw for 10,609 yards with a 64 percent completion rate with 64 touchdowns to 37 distinctions so far in his NFL career.
The wild card game Bears-Saints begins Sunday at 4:40 p.m. ET and can be viewed on CBS, Nickelodeon, Amazon Prime Video, CBS All Access.