Getty Mitch Trubisky runs onto the field before an NFL game.
Brandon Beane said he knew the Buffalo Bills wouldn’t be able to outbid other NFL teams for Mitch Trubisky, so he took a different approach.
The Bills general manager opened up this week about attracting the former No. 2 overall pick to replace Matt Barkley as Josh Allen’s backup. Trubisky signed a Bills-friendly deal for one year and $2.5 million, even though the USA Today’s Bills Wire noted that he had bigger offers from other teams.
ALL the latest Bills news straight to your inbox! Join the Heavy on Bills newsletter here!
Beane Sold Trubisky on the Opportunity
In an interview with SiriusXM NFL radio, Beane explained that there was high competition for the now-former Chicago Bears starter. Instead of breaking the bank, Beane pitched Trubisky on his ability to develop under the Buffalo coaching staff.
“What we sold to him and his agent is, ‘Just come here for a reboot. Work with Josh Allen and our other quarterbacks, Jake Fromm (and) Davis Webb, (offensive coordinator) Brian Daboll and (quarterbacks coach) Ken Dorsey,” Beane said. “Come here, have a reset year and just be a part of what we’re doing here.”
The pitch may have been stronger after the jump Allen made between his second and third seasons. The Bills quarterback ended the 2020 season with 46 total touchdowns, 37 passing with another eight rushing and one receiving. He also threw for a career-high 4,544 yards in the regular season.
Bills signing QB Mitch Trubisky to one-year deal.
Other insiders agree that Buffalo could be an ideal spot for a quarterback looking to rebound and eventually find his way back into a starting job. Cody Benjamin of CBS Sports called Trubisky one of the biggest winners of free agency, saying he is a perfect fit to fill in for Allen and move from an aimless franchise to a Super Bowl contender.
“Instead of returning to the sinking ship that is the Bears, he gets to enjoy a modest $2.5 million while learning under Allen and offensive coordinator Brian Daboll, potentially filling in for a contending team, and then going right back to the market in 2022 with a fresh chance at a bigger role,” Benjamin wrote.
The Bears decided to move on from Trubisky after four uneven seasons, including a final one in which he appeared in 10 games, splitting time with Nick Foles.
Trubisky Could Be Rewarded
As Pro Football Talk reported, Trubisky is coming to Buffalo on a one-year deal with a base salary of $2 million and a $500,000 signing bonus, with $1.5 million coming fully guaranteed. As the report noted, the former Bears starter has the chance to make even more through incentives.
“The contract includes up to $2 million in incentives for playing time, passer rating, completion percentage, touchdowns, and postseason playing time,” the report noted. “Obviously, those things only will happen if starter Josh Allen is injured.”
Mitch Trubisky is signing with the Bills, per @AdamSchefter
After missing four games his rookie year with an elbow injury, Allen has been durable in the last two seasons. He missed no full games in his second or third seasons, though Barkley was able to see time in both seasons at the end of blowout losses and in Week 17 games, with the Bills resting Allen ahead of the playoffs each season.
READ NEXT: Surprising Former Bills Player Talks Reunion: ‘You Never Know’