The Buffalo Bills have agreed to a one-year deal with former Chicago Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky, general manager Brandon Beane announced Thursday. A source confirmed to The Athletic that the deal is worth $2.5 million.
"This is a reset for him. We don't expect him to be here long term," Beane said, adding that he expects Trubisky to be starting elsewhere at some point in the future.
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Trubisky, 26, was benched for Nick Foles in Week 3 of the 2020 season before regaining his starting job after Foles was injured. He finished with 2,055 passing yards, 16 touchdowns and eight interceptions in 10 games (nine starts), going 6-3 as a starter. Drafted second overall in 2017, Trubisky has thrown for 10,609 yards, 64 touchdowns and 37 interceptions in 51 games (50 starts), going 29-21.
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Mitchell Trubisky gives Bills an instant upgrade at backup quarterback
Trubisky's time in Chicago
Kevin Fishbain, Bears beat writer: Trubisky leaves Chicago as the biggest draft mistake in Bears history, but also as a player whose skill set wasn't properly harnessed by a franchise that continually fails its quarterbacks. He's a polarizing figure but not because of anything personally. Trubisky was a hard worker, a good leader and he got involved in the community. He won the Media Good Guy Award. But his play was too inconsistent, and he became known for who he wasn't — Patrick Mahomes or Deshaun Watson. He was supposed to end the Bears' drought at quarterback. Instead, they had to sign Andy Dalton.
Why did the Bills want Trubisky?
Joe Buscaglia, Bills beat writer: It’s very simple for the Bills — Trubisky is there to serve as the backup. Josh Allen cemented himself as the franchise quarterback with an MVP-caliber season in 2020, and the team has openly discussed getting him signed to a long-term contract. The team believes it is in contention for a Super Bowl in 2021. Should anything happen to Allen, the Bills wanted a better chance at winning than what former backup Matt Barkley would have provided.
Trubisky is a high-upside pickup for a low cost. They have a player in Trubisky that can put them in a position to win even if Allen is injured, they don’t have to spend much cap space on him and he could yield a worthwhile future return in the form of a 2023 compensatory pick. While the Bills will miss Barkley’s presence in the locker room, 2021 is all about a Super Bowl run. Trubisky is a significant on-field upgrade.
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What this means for the Bills
Buscaglia: Trubisky’s presence will put the most significant roster crunch on 2020 fifth-round pick Jake Fromm and Davis Webb. Unless Trubisky gets injured ahead of the season, there will only be room, at most, for one of Fromm or Webb on the 53-man roster. If pressed into duty for an injured Allen, Trubisky showed last season that he could come in cold and put together a productive offense.
The Bills are hoping with no pressure to play, and experienced quarterback developers in Brian Daboll (offensive coordinator) and Ken Dorsey (quarterbacks coach), that they’ll be able to help Trubisky return to a starting lineup somewhere else in the future.
(Photo: Derick E. Hingle / USA Today)