Getty General manager Ryan Pace of the Chicago Bears has been criticized for the Mitch Trubisky trade.
There are some things the Chicago Bears and their fan base would like to forget about. Trading the farm back in 2017 to draft quarterback Mitch Trubisky is one of those things.
Bears general manager Ryan Pace infamously moved up just one spot in the draft that year, already holding the No. 3 overall pick, to select Trubisky second overall. In his four seasons with the Bears, Trubisky showed flashes and did some good things, accumulating 10,609 passing yards, 64 touchdowns and 37 interceptions along with 1,057 rushing yards and eight scores on the ground.
Still, Pace’s decision to send the third overall pick in addition to three other draft picks to nab Trubisky was questionable then — and it’s not being looked at fondly in retrospect, either.
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Trade Up for Trubisky Dubbed One of Worst Trades of Decade
Hindsight, of course, is always 20/20, but here’s what Pace gave up to select Trubisky with the No. 2 pick:
- No. 3 pick (which turned out to be DL Solomon Thomas)
- No. 67 pick, Round 2 (which was later traded to the Saints, who selected RB Alvin Kamara)
- No. 111 pick, Round 4 (later traded to the Seahawks, who selected S Tedric Thompson)
- No. 70 pick, Round 3 in 2018 (LB Fred Warner)
Considering what Pace gave up, Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report dubbed the trade-up for Trubisky one of the worst trades of the last decade.
“The big problem with this trade is that it wasn’t necessary,” Knox wrote on December 10. “According to a report from Peter King, then writing for Sports Illustrated, the 49ers thought Chicago wanted defensive end Solomon Thomas, whom San Francisco gobbled up at No. 3 (though he disappointed in four seasons with the 49ers). So, Chicago could have stayed put and taken Trubisky.”
Then, Knox just had to bring this up:
“Making the deal appear even worse is the fact that Chicago selected Trubisky over quarterbacks Deshaun Watson and Patrick Mahomes. Mahomes has already earned regular-season and Super Bowl MVP honors, and while Watson isn’t playing as he faces 22 civil lawsuits and 10 criminal complaints from women who have accused him of sexual assault or misconduct, he’s a three-time Pro Bowl quarterback.”
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Trades Like This One Are Why Pace Has to Go
Trubisky is currently backing up Josh Allen in Buffalo, but he’ll likely get a chance to compete for a starting gig in 2022. He clearly wasn’t worth the No. 2 overall pick, and his issues (inability to read defenses, an inaccurate arm) were too glaring to ignore.
That said, it’s not Trubisky’s fault Pace elected to send a huge amount of draft capital to San Francisco to draft him, and it’s also not Trubisky’s fault Pace chose a head coach (Matt Nagy) who has shown an ineptitude when it comes to working with young QBs. The blame there falls directly on the shoulders of Pace, as well.
There are currently multiple rumors swirling around suggesting Pace (and Nagy) will be let go at the end of the season, and it’s decisions like the Trubisky trade that should ultimately lead to the GM’s dismissal.