The Bears made a big decision regarding the future of their franchise over the weekend, declining to pick up the fifth-year option on quarterback Mitchell Trubisky’s contract.
There were bound to be detractors to the decision, no matter what the Bears did. Whether you support the move or not, the Bears made the right choice, according to ProFootballTalk’s Mike Florio.
“Under the circumstances, they handled the situation the right way,” Florio said of the Bears Monday on SportsTalk Live. “The worst thing you can do once you’ve made a mistake is compound the mistake by not acknowledging it.
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“And by not picking up the fifth-year option on Mitchell Trubisky, the Bears acknowledge that they made a mistake in trading up to get him, in not taking Patrick Mahomes, in not taking Deshaun Watson.”
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Florio noted if the Bears picked up the option and Trubisky were to get hurt and be unable to pass a physical before mid-March 2021, the team would be on the hook for his salary. Then, you’re talking about paying a quarterback coming off an ineffective 2019 season something around $21-23 million.
Trubisky could solidify himself as the starter this training camp and perform well in 2020. But if they picked up the option only for his struggles to persist, that salary would be tough to swallow.
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Nevertheless, Florio said the Bears’ current predicament is a good problem to have. If Trubisky starts this season and plays well, they can franchise tag him — a similar salary to his since-declined option — or possibly sign him to a long-term deal. If not, they can move on from him.
“That’s the best-case scenario, at this point, being backed into a corner and not having the fifth-year option as a way to keep him around,” Florio said. “Because the downside of the fifth-year option isn’t justifiable — given the possibility of an injury and given the fact that he’s done not enough yet to merit that fifth-year salary.”
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