Getty Quarterback Baker Mayfield of the Cleveland Browns walks off the field following the Browns loss against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium on November 28, 2021 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
The Cleveland Browns have big questions at quarterback as former No. 1 overall pick Baker Mayfield enters the final year of his rookie deal. The answers the Browns seek under center may reside on the arm of a former No. 2 overall pick now serving as the backup signal caller with one of the most potent offenses in the NFL.
Mitchell Trubisky, 27, spent last season playing second fiddle to MVP candidate Josh Allen as a member of the Buffalo Bills. The former top pick of the Chicago Bears in the 2017 NFL Draft will hit free agency in March after signing a one-year, $2.5 million contract to learn under the reputed offensive mind of Brian Daboll, who was recently named head coach of the New York Giants.
Trubisky made the move to Buffalo in order to prime himself for another crack at a starting job, and executives across the league told ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler Tuesday that he is going to get it. The only question left is where, and a realistic scenario for the young QB’s second act could unfold in Cleveland this offseason.
“I could see him going to a situation where he can be a starting option and the team drafts a quarterback,” an AFC executive told Fowler. “He’ll have to go out there and earn it, but there’s certainly enough there where the right offense can accommodate him. The offense in Chicago was pretty rigid and on-script, and I’m not sure it suited him.”
The latest Browns news straight to your inbox! Subscribe to the Heavy on Browns newsletter here!
Trubisky Alternative to Trading Mayfield For Established Star at QB
GettyMitchell Trubisky warming up for the Buffalo Bills.
Mary Kay Cabot, of Cleveland.com, explored the potential of Trubisky joining the Browns in late January.
“Trubisky could be a possible option for the Browns depending on how they approach the position in the offseason. I believe they’ll explore possibilities at quarterback because they’d be remiss not to [do so],” Cabot said. “Some quality veteran will be available, including several that might make sense for them. If they don’t go all in on a new starter, they could opt for a backup such as Trubisky who has starting potential.”
Trade speculation has swirled around Cleveland for months, as both Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers and Minnesota Vikings signal caller Kirk Cousins could be on the move this offseason. But bringing in either of those quarterbacks would be an expensive, multi-year move that would also require the Browns to give up on the Mayfield experiment completely.
Instead, Cleveland could take a more moderate approach by drafting a quarterback in April, signing a player like Trubisky to push Mayfield and keeping the starting-caliber QB in reserve if they need him.
Trubisky Boasts Legitimate Success as Starting NFL QB
GettyFormer Chicago Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky.
Trubisky has caught something of a bad rap for his time in Chicago, but he was actually a highly productive quarterback during his four seasons there.
He amassed a 29-21 record as a starter and proved fairly durable under center, earning a spot in the Pro-Bowl in 2018. Trubisky threw for more than 10,000 yards in a Bears uniform, as well as 64 TDs to just 37 INTs, per Pro Football Reference. The quarterback also rushed for more than 1,000 yards and 8 TDs while in Chicago.
Trubisky displayed those skills daily in practice sessions with the Bills, which is why Allen believes the quarterback is ready to get off the bench and back into the game in a place like Cleveland.
“Mitch has been through the ringer,” Allen told Fowler. “No. 2 pick, how he handled being a professional, coming into a situation where you never thought [you’d] be in that situation — that’s not easy. But he handled it with such class.”
“The dude is an athlete,” Allen continued. “I don’t think people really understand that. You give him leeway in an offense to have that mindset of, ‘See it, do it, we trust you.’ He’s going to kill it.”
The confidence Allen, Daboll and the rest of the Bills organization put in Trubisky is reflected in the quarterback’s own belief in himself.
“You’ve just got to believe deep down that everything you’re working on is going to pay off eventually,” Trubisky said in a January 30 interview with The Buffalo News. “And they say the things you do in the dark will shine in the light someday when you get the opportunity. Hopefully when I get that next opportunity, I’ll be able to shine.”