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The story is a familiar one.
The Chicago Bears moved up one spot in the 2017 NFL draft to select quarterback Mitchell Trubisky over the likes of Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson — and they paid a hefty price to do it.
The Bears sent the No. 3 overall pick in addition to a third-rounder that year (No. 67), a fourth-rounder (No. 111) and a 2018 third-round pick (No. 70) to the San Francisco 49ers in exchange to move up just one spot to nab Trubisky with the No. 2 pick.
Former Bears general manager Ryan Pace made the decision to draft Trubisky without telling then-head coach John Fox, according to a blistering 2019 report by the Chicago Tribune. Fox, the Tribune reported, wanted Watson as the Bears’ next franchise QB, but Pace overrode him and selected Trubisky instead.
The rest is history — and the Bears may never live it down, with multiple analysts calling it one of the worst draft decisions in recent years.
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Trubisky Will Get One Last Chance to Change the Narrative
The Bears, of course, chose not to re-sign Trubisky after his rookie deal expired. He wound up in Buffalo as a backup for the 2021 season before getting signed to a two-year deal by the Pittsburgh Steelers this year.
If you’re looking at wins and losses only, the 27-year-old quarterback has had a decent career. He’s 29-21 in the regular season, and can win a team with a staunch defense some ball games.
He has thrown for 10,652 career yards and he has a completion percentage of 64.1, while tossing 64 touchdowns to 38 interceptions, and he can extend plays with his legs, as he’s a great runner.
That said, accuracy issues plagued him throughout his career, and his decision-making was suspect at times.
Now, Trubisky will get one final shot in Pittsburgh to change the narrative — and it’s a narrative many are still running with.
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Bears’ Decision to Draft Trubisky Ranks Among Worst in Recent History
Mike Kaye of The Draft Network looked at the “most foolish draft decisions of the past five seasons,” and he selected the Bears drafting Trubisky as the worst. Here’s his reasoning:
With the San Francisco 49ers holding the second overall pick, the Chicago Bears got pantsy at No. 3 and decided to move up the board. The Bears gave the 49ers third- and fourth-round picks to move up one spot and select QB Mitchell Trubisky. While the Bears did the right thing by going after their guy, Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson remained on the board. Mahomes fell to No. 10, and the Chiefs traded up with the Buffalo Bills to nab him. Mahomes is a Super Bowl winner and a former league MVP who is seen as the best player in the sport. Trubisky recently signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers, his third team in three years. Ryan Pace, the Bears GM who made the Trubisky move, is no longer in charge.
As Kaye noted, Pace is no longer with the team. He was fired at the end of the 2022 season, with the team going 48-65 in his seven years as GM.
Bleacher Report also dubbed Pace trading up for Trubisky as one of the worst draft moves of the last decade, ranking it third-worst in the last 10 years:
“Trading up for a one-year college starter when it wasn’t necessary was bad. Making Trubisky the first quarterback taken in the draft was worse. By doing so, Chicago passed on both Watson and Mahomes. Trubisky had a winning record in Chicago but wasn’t consistent enough to stick.”
Because Pace sold the farm to move up a singular spot to draft Trubisky instead of Mahomes — who has become a generational talent — Trubisky will always, unfairly or not, be tied to Mahomes. Regardless, it’s never wise to mortgage the future on a single player, and while it’s wise not to live in the past, it’s equally astute to learn from it.
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