Chicago Bears: Ryan Pace made the right call with Mitchell Trubisky’s fifth-year option

The Chicago Bears and Ryan Pace made the right decision to not pick up Mitchell Trubisky’s fifth-year option.

Hello. My name is Rob and I am a Mitchell Trubisky supporter. That is right, I am a Trubisky supporter. I will stand on this hill proudly despite wanting Deshaun Watson at No. 3 overall in 2017. The problem is, even though I love the leadership qualities, he has yet to play up to his draft cost. Even though he brings a love and passion of the game to the table like no other quarterback I have seen in a Chicago Bears uniform since maybe Jim McMahon, results on the field matter.

Trubisky performed well in 2018, but he was far from being great. At that time, even as a Trubisky truther, he was a tier-three quarterback in my opinion. His 2019 season was the year he should have vaulted himself into the tier two category. Tier two quarterbacks for me are franchise quarterbacks. Guys you can count on every year to consistently give you good quarterback play. Tier one quarterbacks are “elite” and have the tools to dominate the league consistently.

Trubisky was not likely to make my tier one, not many quarterbacks do. Lamar Jackson, for example, would not be in my tier one. A “one-year” wonder is not an elite quarterback. If he balls out again this year, he will be moving up. I did the same with Patrick Mahomes after his MVP season. He still had to prove he could replicate his performance. He, along with Aaron Rodgers and Russell Wilson are in my current tier one.

This is important to understand that most quarterbacks fall into my tier two, three or four range. Tom Brady and Drew Brees were clearly all in the tier-one range at some point, but they are past their better days. Why should you care how I view and rank the quarterbacks? Well, picking up a fifth-year option on a tier-three quarterback spells disaster, even if you still believe in him.

Trubisky is a tier-three quarterback, which means he has shown signs of promise, has potential but has yet to put it all together. If he took a step forward in 2019 he would have been in my tier-two category which contains the likes of Matthew Stafford, Matt Ryan, Philip Rivers and more.

Now, I understand the fifth-year option is not guaranteed unless Trubisky sustains some horrific season-ending injury that limits his ability to find a new team in the 2021 offseason. With Nick Foles injury history, even if Trubisky does not win the starting spot or say he starts the season but loses it to Foles shortly after, Trubisky is going to play at some point. All it takes is one play and the Chicago Bears would be on the hook for $24 million dollars.

Let me back up again. Remember how I said I am a Trubisky supporter? Even if you think he stinks, supporting Trubisky should be what all Chicago Bears fans should be doing. If he takes a step forward and becomes a tier-two quarterback in 2020, that is the best thing for the Chicago Bears franchise and future. Wait. I just said they should not pick up the option. Is it not better to only pay him $24 million as opposed to what he will be owed as a free agent?

Technically, yes. However, the risk is not worth the reward. Ryan Pace can franchise tag Trubisky for around $30 million in 2021. Those $ 6 million dollars would be nice to have for free agency, but Trubisky seems like the type of player that would work out a long-term contract and not play just on the tag. I could be wrong, but he seems to have a team-first mentality.

This is why Pace made the right choice with Trubisky’s fifth-year option. Even if you believe in him. Even if you think he can still be a franchise quarterback. The fifth-year option is too risky and the reward is not that great. This was the right move no matter if you are on the Trubisky train or not.