NEWSLETTER
The writing has been on the wall for quite some time, but it’s officially official now.
Mitchell Trubisky’s time in Chicago is over.
Trubisky leaves a complicated legacy. One that can be summed up with two factoids. First, Trubisky departs as the franchise’s all-time leader in passer rating. That’s … something. As is this: He leaves Chicago with two playoff appearances, but no postseason wins. There’s your snapshot that summarizes the spirit of the thing.
We could dive deeper into the Trubisky experience. And I’m sure we’ll do so at some point in the future. However, today is not the day for that discussion. Instead, I’d like to admit what might be an unpopular opinion — we had some good times. Therefore, I’d like to take this opportunity to re-visit some:
Still thinking about this incredible effort from Mitch Trubisky. The awareness, the athleticism, the touch. All just perfect. pic.twitter.com/RQB6osOl0r
— Bleacher Nation Bears (@BN_Bears) December 17, 2018
BIG MITCH ENERGY. pic.twitter.com/jnvjbETSJT
— Bleacher Nation Bears (@BN_Bears) December 6, 2019
https://twitter.com/BN_Bears/status/1110500949695578112?s=20
https://twitter.com/BN_Bears/status/1345872260012388359
I don’t know how you could limit it to just 10, but here are @NFL’s 10 best Mitch Trubisky plays from 2018. pic.twitter.com/7C0E2UzBlO
— Bleacher Nation Bears (@BN_Bears) January 17, 2019
It’s just that there weren’t enough. And they didn’t come consistently enough to merit a longer tenure in Chicago. Not every relationship works out. Sometimes, a parting of ways is best for both parties. And for Trubisky, perhaps his best football is ahead of him for a franchise to be chosen later. Because even the Bills’ general manager believes Trubisky isn’t long for Buffalo, seeing this as a brief reset before a re-launch elsewhere. Maybe Brandon Beane is gassing up the new guy. Or maybe he’s simply cognizant of what lies ahead for Trubisky. Perhaps Beane knows that Trubisky’s last chapter wasn’t written in Chicago and won’t be penned in Buffalo.
For instance, some quarterback whisperer will remember a flash he showed in college. Likewise, there could be an assistant who remembers a splash play he made as a rookie in 2017. Or a tape enthusiast who remembers the dimes he tossed from time to time. There is always some coach who believes he can make something out of the raw clay that makes up a player once deemed a top quarterback prospect in his class. Or a general manager who sees the value in a reclamation project. That train is never late.
At some point, someone will wake up one day and roll the dice on the No. 2 pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, citing some one-liner in a scouting report that they fell for at some point and was never able to escape. Trubisky’s story doesn’t end in Chicago. It will begin anew somewhere else, where a new page will open, and a blank slate will present itself.
And it will be up to Trubisky to author a new narrative.
