Bears planning to allow Mitch Trubisky to leave in free agency

It’s hardly a big secret, but the Chicago Bears are indeed planning to let Mitch Trubisky leave in free agency.

Between the decision not to pick up his fifth-year option and their trade for Nick Foles last offseason, the Chicago Bears prepared themselves to part with Mitch Trubisky this offseason. As free agency gets going this week, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler and Dan Graziano have reported the Bears are planning to allow Trubisky to leave.

The Bears are a rumored suitor for Deshaun Watson, and more prominently Russell Wilson. Failing one of those two big moves, signing a lower-end free agent and drafting someone looks like the fallback plan at quarterback.

Mitch Trubisky has failed Matt Nagy and Ryan Pace

Even at the time, Bears general manager Ryan Pace drew plenty of ire for trading up one spot to get Trubisky in the 2017 draft. Deshaun Watson and Patrick Mahomes were of course available, to make it look even worse in hindsight.

Matt Nagy was hired as head coach in 2018, with developing Trubisky as his No.1 task. A defense performing an elite level covered up Trubisky’s shortcomings on the way to a 12-4 record in 2018. In the two seasons since, Trubisky’s limitations have been completely exposed. Nagy’s reputation as an offensive mind, overblown as it probably was coming from Andy Reid’s coaching tree in Kansas City, has taken a huge hit.

Practically gifted a playoff spot by a soft late schedule last season, Pace and Nagy are on the hot seat heading into next season. Trubisky is the driving force for that lack of job security, and the move to Foles did nothing (as expected).

There are wide indications the Bears will do whatever it takes to get either Watson or Wilson, in a bit of desperation mode. It’ll be interesting to see the where and what of Trubisky’s trip into free agency. But the the tea leaves showing the Bears would move on have been here for awhile.