The Chicago Bears have a full-fledged quarterback competition on their hands – and it’s starting politely.
On Friday, the Bears formally introduced QB Nick Foles, whom they traded for last month, through a conference call with local media. The former Eagles’ Super Bowl MVP will compete for the starting job with Mitchell Trubisky, Chicago’s incumbent starter, who is coming off a rough 2019 season.
When asked about the competition ahead of him, Foles told reporters that he and Trubisky had already spoken on the phone.
“[Trubisky] and I were able to start off on the right foot with our discussions,” Foles said, according to local reporters. “Ultimately, it’s about the Chicago Bears.”
Bears head coach Matt Nagy and GM Ryan Pace spoke to the media before Foles, and both maintained that the job would truly be open when the season hopefully begins in the fall.
“We’ve talked to both players, and the way we view this, it’s an open competition,” Pace said, according to NBC Sports. Pace did not commit to exercising Trubisky’s fifth-year option, a decision that has to be made in May.
Nagy added, “It’s going to be completely fair. It’s going to be extremely competitive,” while mentioning that Trubisky would likely get the first reps whenever practices start.
It’s a stark contrast to the attitude the team has expressed in recent months in relation to Trubisky. In a December press conference after the Bears missed the playoffs at 8-8, Pace said he “believes in Mitch” and that the plan was for him to be the starter in 2020.
Chicago then traded a fourth-round pick to Jacksonville last month for Foles, who is just a year removed from signing a four-year, $88 million contract to be the Jaguars starting QB. Foles ended up suffering a broken clavicle in the first game of the 2019 season, and lost the job to rookie Gardner Minshew.
Foles said he wanted to come to Chicago, and had to agree to a “crazy restructure” of his contract in order to make it happen. NFL Network reported that Chicago will pay him $24 million over three years, with $21 million guaranteed.
A big part of the appeal to Chicago was likely Foles’ relationship with Nagy. The two worked together in Philadelphia during Foles’ rookie season, when Nagy was the Eagles’ offensive quality control coach, and again in Kansas City in 2016. Foles has also played for new Chicago offensive coordinator Bill Lazor, and new quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo at multiple stops.
Trubisky will likely have to vastly improve in order to win the job. He threw 17 touchdowns to 10 interceptions in 2019, finishing dead last in the NFL with 6.1 yards per attempt.