Chicago Bears should trade Mitch Trubisky during 2020 NFL Draft

Instead of having a quarterback competition between Nick Foles and Mitch Trubisky, the Chicago Bears should consider trading Trubisky and adding draft picks.

Some of you will vehemently disagree with this take but here it is right off the bat: The Chicago Bears should trade quarterback Mitchell Trubisky.

Yes, I know that general manager Ryan Pace gave up a lot to acquire Trubisky. He recovered some of those picks over the past several seasons, however. Also, his job is on the line and something has to be done to make the Bears a yearly contender.

Earlier this year, Pace sounded like he was squarely in Trubisky’s corner. At the Bears’ end of the season press conference, he stated that the team would go into the 2020 season with Trubisky as its starter. Of course, with backup Chase Daniel leaving via free agency, there weren’t any other options at the time.

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We could all look at Pace’s comments when he signed Mike Glennon in 2017 ahead of drafting Trubisky. He said the Bears saw Glennon as the starter and Trubisky would sit and learn before he got a shot at the starting job. Those words rang true for exactly four games into the season. Glennon struggled and the Bears decided to throw Trubisky to the wolves.

That shows that Pace isn’t necessarily tied to what he says. If things change, he’ll change as well. It appears as if things are changing when it comes to Trubisky.

After trading for Nick Foles, Pace now feels comfortable if Trubisky loses the competition. It seems like things are stacked against Trubisky. Foles worked with head coach Matt Nagy when both were with the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs. He also worked with offensive coordinator Bill Lazor and quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo with the Eagles as well. Foles has a good understanding of what the coaching staff expects.

Many expect competition between Foles and Trubisky but that might not be the case. He already has an advantage with the coaches. Trubisky still has to develop that comfort with the new coaches.

Jason Lieser of the Chicago Sun-Times wrote about a change in Pace’s attitude towards Trubisky. Gone is the Trubisky-or-bust thinking, replaced by “may the best man win, even if it isn’t Trubisky.”

"The frustration over the last year has been Pace’s inability to see clearly on Trubisky and an unwillingness to bring in anyone except pseudo-assistant coaches as his backups. While Foles is far from overwhelming and has never been a full-time starter, he’s a legitimate contender for the starting job in a way that Chase Daniel and Tyler Bray were never intended to be."

It’s funny how an attitude changes when your job is on the line.

Instead of having a quarterback competition that ultimately leads to Trubisky being relegated to the bench, why not try to get something valuable when he actually has some value? If he loses the battle he also loses value.

Trading Trubisky during the draft gives the Bears added draft picks. They can turn those picks into players who can contribute and help the team become a contender.

Foles cost the Bears a fourth-round pick and he had a huge contract and was coming off an injury. Washington traded a fifth-round pick for Kyle Allen, a quarterback who, while he had some good moments, showed he wasn’t ready when he took over for Cam Newton.

Trubisky is still under his rookie deal. He can be a starter if he could just put it all together. His case could be one of him doing that somewhere else. Look at Ryan Tannehill with the Tennessee Titans. Sometimes you need a kick in the pants to help you get things together.

Trubisky can bring in a pick in the third or fourth round, and possibly another one late in the draft. Since the Bears don’t have a pick in either the third or fourth round, picking up a pick in either of those rounds greatly helps them. This draft class is deep in certain positions (wide receivers, for example) and the team can pick up valuable players in the middle or late rounds.

With extra picks, the Bears could pick up a quarterback who could eventually step in and become the starter. They can do that and still address other needs.

Pace is known for making draft-day trades. He’s made a trade in every draft he’s run while in Chicago and with two second-round picks, no picks in the third or fourth round, and Trubisky there to bring in more picks, expect him to be one of the busiest team executives during the draft.

Trubisky is a good kid but he needs more time to develop. The Bears no longer have the time to wait for him. They need to win now or people will lose jobs. If trading Trubisky helps the team win, then they have to pull the trigger on a deal.