Bears GM Ryan Pace reiterates commitment to QB Mitch Trubisky as 2020 starter

Bears general manager Ryan Pace was noncommittal about quarterback Mitch Trubisky’s 2021 option and left the door open for competition, but said “to be clear” Trubisky’s in the starter.

Trubisky, whom Pace drafted No. 2 overall in 2017, is coming off a dreadful season in which he finished 28th in passer rating. His numbers dropped across the board, and he finished with 17 touchdowns, 10 interceptions, a 63.2 completion percentage and an average of 209.2 yards per game.

Trubisky played most of the season with an injured non-throwing shoulder and had surgery last month. Pace said he will be “good to go” for organized team activities and minicamp, and “full go” for training camp.

As adamant as Pace has been about his belief in Trubisky, he said the team hasn’t decided whether to exercise its fifth-year option on him. If the Bears do so by the May deadline, they will be on the hook for more than $20 million for Trubisky in 2021, though they can rescind it as long as he is healthy.

“For us, that decision isn’t triggered until May,” Pace said. “Right now, our focus is on free agency and the combine.”