3. Mitchell Trubisky (Bears)
With how well the Bears (and even Trubisky) have been playing of late, many now think that Chicago is going to try to find a way to re-sign its former top draft choice in the 2021 offseason.
The thing is, I don’t know how easy that is going to be to do.
Trubisky was a top draft choice in 2017. He was the QB1 of the same class that produced DeShaun Watson and Patrick Mahomes for those keeping track at home.
The Bears declined Trubisky’s fifth-year option, and unless they’re prepared to franchise tag him, why would he not pursue other opportunities around the league?
Franchise tagging Trubisky could be prohibitive cost-wise for the Bears at nearly $27 million and increasing annually.
Trubisky also might not be overly amenable to returning to Chicago on a three-year deal with the Bears declining his fifth-year option which would have been worth nearly $25 million.
Trubisky’s value is a little hard to predict based on current average salary values around the league. Unlike Marcus Mariota in Tennessee, Trubisky is on pace to finish the year as the Bears’ starting quarterback. Mariota got a two-year deal worth almost $9 million per season from the Raiders in 2020 free agency.
Trubisky, based on that, is probably worth at least $9 million per year on the market if not more.
What makes him an attractive option for the Broncos as long as the price is reasonable and the length of the contract is only 2-3 years? Well, Trubisky has history with Vic Fangio, even though Fangio wasn’t technically his coach in Chicago.
Trubisky would also be able to look at the Broncos’ situation and see that Drew Lock has played solid, but obviously, by signing Trubisky the Broncos would indicate they are open to the competition. Lock has also missed time in two out of two NFL seasons due to injury, and Trubisky could snipe his job if that were to happen in 2021.
This would be a sensible match for both sides if Trubisky leaves Chicago, which seems less likely now than it did a few weeks ago, but it’s still very much in play.
Trubisky would be my personal top option on this list based on age, starting experience, and overall talent, but he may not be the most realistic based on recent events.