Former Chicago Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky reached a one-year deal with the Buffalo Bills on Thursday to serve as backup for starter Josh Allen.
Terms have not been announced.
Bill’s GM Brandon Beane said this is a “reset” for Trubisky and that he does not expect the # 2 pick in 2017 to be a long-term option behind Allen.
“I don’t know what happened in Chicago, but he started 50 games,” Beane said of Trubisky. “… I think Mitchell has been labeled from afar that he may not deserve it. This is a reset for him. We don’t expect him to be here long term.”
Trubisky, 26, started the 2020 season as the starting quarterback of the Bears before losing the job to Nick Foles in week 3, to finish the season as a starter and reclaim the job in week 12. He closed it season with 2,055 yards, 16 touchdowns and 8 interceptions, while completing 67% of his passes.
Beane said the bills will approach Allen about an extension sometime after the NFL draft – in May or possibly the summer – confirming the team’s interest in making an off-season deal.
Trubisky’s future in Chicago has been weak since the Bears traded for Foles last April and turned down Trubisky’s fifth-year option just over a month later.
Still, Trubisky expressed his willingness to return to Chicago for the 2021 season, telling reporters in the wake of the seasonal playoff loss to the New Orleans Saints that he had “unfinished business” with the team.
He had been under scrutiny in Chicago since the Bears traded to select him. While Trubisky has gone through four NFL seasons up and down, quarterbacks Patrick Mahomes (drafted 10th overall in 2017) and Deshaun Watson (12th overall) have evolved into franchise quarterbacks.
Trubisky went 29-21 as a starter in Chicago, threw for 10,609 yards with 64 touchdowns and 37 interceptions while completing 64% of his passes. He also rushed for 1,057 yards and eight touchdowns. He was a 2018 Pro Bowl roster as he achieved career highs in passing yards (3,223) and touchdown passes (24).
ESPN’s Marcel Louis-Jacques and Jeff Dickerson contributed to this report.