Bears GM says Mitchell Trubisky, Nick Foles will have ‘open competition’
It has been roughly three months since the Chicago Bears all but committed to Mitchell Trubisky as their starting quarterback for 2020, but the former first-round pick’s job is no longer secure. The team confirmed that on Friday.
Bears general manager Ryan Pace told reporters during a conference call that there will be an “open competition” at the quarterback position this offseason. That seemed obvious after Chicago acquired Nick Foles in a trade, but Pace has now gone on the record.
Matt Nagy: This open QB competition between Mitch and Nick… number one what we're trying to do is what's best for the Chicago Bears. Ryan and I have had great talks w/ both of them. It's gonna be very transparent & it's gonna be very honest. When I talked to Mitch, speaks to
— StaceyDales (@StaceyDales) April 3, 2020
who he is, he's a competitor and he's embracing it and he's ready to get back to work … Mitch is really embracing it. He's had an unbelievable personality throughout it … Nick has been great as well. He's a special person… He's been in this position before and he's
— StaceyDales (@StaceyDales) April 3, 2020
handled it great. It's gonna be a process evaluated over time. And like Ryan said, it's a collaboration (mentions other coaches). Ultimately what it really comes down to is winning, scoring points, physical and mental toughness, commanding leadership.
— StaceyDales (@StaceyDales) April 3, 2020
Foles reportedly restructured his contract to facilitate a trade to the Bears, but he is still guaranteed $50 million over the next three years. That certainly is not backup money, and it would make the most sense financially for Chicago if Foles won the job.
Despite what they have said about Trubisky publicly, the Bears clearly do not have confidence in the 25-year-old. They targeted other big-name quarterbacks before acquiring Foles, so it seems like the plan all along was to bring in another veteran who has a chance to earn the Week 1 starting job.
