The Bears shocked the city of Chicago – along with the rest of the NFL – last year when they traded up to take Mitch Trubisky with the second-overall pick in the draft.
Personally, I was in complete disbelief. I screamed as I collapsed to the ground, started saying “Oh my God” as I rolled around like a child.
Then after about five seconds of this reaction, I sat up and said: “I’ll take it.” I went through about as many emotions as humanly possible in a span of seven seconds, but I was glad we took Trubisky there, and that opinion hasn’t changed.
Coming into the 2017 Draft, I was a huge fan of Jamal Adams. I felt that we needed the help at secondary and the safety from LSU was a man amongst boys. Or maybe the Bears would take Solomon Thomas, the defensive end out of Stanford who was mocked to the Bears in seemingly every draft day prediction.
Looking back on this emotional rollercoaster of a day, the Bears made the best decision possible by taking Trubisky.
The 2018 draft class has many intriguing quarterback prospects. Baker Mayfield is one of the greatest college quarterbacks in recent memory, Lamar Jackson is the most athletic quarterback since Michael Vick, while Josh Allen, Josh Rosen and Sam Darnold all possess a great amount of potential.
All these quarterbacks can find success at the next level, but what Trubisky was able to accomplish with some of the worst play-calling in the NFL combined with a mediocre receiving core cannot go unnoticed.
He is going to excel with a new coaching staff once there are more weapons for him.
One possibility that was tossed around last year was the Bears trading their third-overall pick to the New England Patriots for Jimmy Garoppolo. While there is an unfathomable amount of hype surrounding Garoppolo, who very well could be an elite quarterback, I’m thankful that trade didn’t take place for financial purposes.
Garoppolo recently signed a 5-year $137.5 million deal with San Francisco 49ers, making him the highest paid player in the history of the sport.
He is a very good quarterback, but he’s also only started seven games in his career. Giving someone with that small of a sample size a contract of that size seems lucrative, and it would have been for Chicago.
The Bears have so many holes they need to fill on both sides of the ball before they can be considered a top-tier NFL franchise. While they do have a luxurious amount of cap space, this would have eliminated the possibility of signing a top wide receiver in free agency and they would be forced to build their team almost entirely through the draft.
Even though the Bears haven’t made any huge splashes this offseason, the recent trade rumors about Jarvis Landry wouldn’t be relevant because we wouldn’t be able to afford him, and Allen Robinson changing his avatar on twitter to a picture of him in a Cubs jersey wouldn’t have any meaning (still might not, but I’m optimistic).
Big offseason moves have not taken place yet, but they wouldn’t even be a possibility if the Bears traded for Garoppolo and extended him.
The Bears have holes that need to be filled and they have the ability to accomplish this financially and through the draft.
Garoppolo may have a better career than Trubisky, or Trubisky could blossom into the stud we all imagine he can be. Regardless, the Bears are in a better situation to bolster their roster because they have Trubisky leading the charge.
Mark I read all your Blogs.. enjoy them very much. keep up the good work. PAPA