The Chicago Bears will have plenty of questions to answer this offseason, especially on the offensive side of the ball. But the one question that’s most important centers on the quarterback:
Is Mitchell Trubisky the quarterback of the future in Chicago?
Many critics, analysts and fans already have their minds made up. Whether it’s an overwhelming “Mitch isn’t the guy,” or “Give him time, he’ll be fine.”
But the simple fact of the matter is that we really don’t know. Considering everything that’s happened over the course of these last three years, I’d lean more towards the former.
Rest assured Trubisky will be back in 2020 in his fourth season with the Bears. But will they pick up Trubisky’s fifth-year option? NFL.com analyst Gil Brandt certainly believes so.
After a disastrous first half of the season, Trubisky has shown enough promise lately to remain Chicago’s starting quarterback entering the 2020 season. For that reason, it’s worth locking him in for 2021. But given the prices quarterbacks demand, I’d wait to take the plunge on a commitment that lasts any longer until Trubisky can show more consistency.
If the Bears pick up Trubisky’s fifth-year option, they’d be committing roughly $25 million to a quarterback that hasn’t proven he can be a consistent player in this league.
The Bears are likely going to exercise Trubisky’s fifth-year option, as there’s only really a guarantee for injury. They would have until the start of the league year in his fifth season to cut him if he doesn’t pan out. Although teams rarely release a player before the full guarantee takes effect.
Teams can start exercising the fifth-year options beginning December 30 and have until May 30, 2020 to make their decision.
