Mitchell Trubisky did not ask to be drafted before those two. Nonetheless, expectations rose for the supposed savior of the Chicago Bears. His first season saw the typical struggles for a rookie quarterback in his first action against NFL defenses.
The 6’-2” 222-pound quarterback with 9.5-inch hands completed only 59.4-percent of his passes. He also ended up throwing for just seven touchdowns to seven interceptions in 10 starts (12 games played). Trubisky saw vast improvement in his second season, however. The Bears secured a playoff berth on the strength of their defense and Trubisky’s improved numbers. He threw for a career-high 3,223 yards, 7.5 yards per attempt and 24 touchdowns while completing 66.6-percent of his passes. He also used his 4.67 40-speed to his advantage as well, rushing for 421 yards and three touchdowns on the ground. His QBR of 71 was the highest during his Bears tenure that season and he finished as the QB11 on a per-game basis. The Bears fell in the playoffs to the Philadelphia Eagles that season thanks to the infamous ‘Double-Doink’ missed field goal at the end of the fourth quarter.
Trubisky has shown promise, but those glimpses of potential have dissipated. Trubisky’s numbers declined after the 2018 season while one quarterback the Bears passed on in the draft – Patrick Mahomes – took the league by storm. Despite Trubisky winning the first ever Nickelodeon NVP award after Chicago’s 2020 Wild Card loss to the New Orleans Saints, the Bears declined his fifth-year option and he became a free agent in 2021. Receiving no starting offers from other NFL teams, Trubisky ultimately signed a one-year deal with the Buffalo Bills, where he backed up Josh Allen. In the 2022 offseason, Trubisky signed a two-year contract with Pittsburgh, including $14 million guaranteed. He will serve as the Steelers' starting quarterback for the 2022 season.
