LAS VEGAS — While Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes looks for his fourth championship, former Bears quarterback Mitch Trubisky is looking for his fourth team.
The gap between the two just keeps growing, making the Bears’ epic error of choosing Trubisky over Mahomes in the 2017 draft sting even more.
The Steelers released Trubisky after two seasons Monday, making him a free agent at 29. He played five games for them this season, including two starts, and had four touchdown passes and five interceptions.
The Bears moved on from Trubisky after the 2020 season, and he spent 2021 with the Bills before going to the Steelers. In seven starts in three seasons since leaving the Bears, Trubisky went 2-5 with eight touchdown passes, 11 interceptions and a 76.5 passer rating.
Former general manager Ryan Pace was sitting on the third pick and had his choice of top prospects Trubisky, Mahomes and Deshaun Watson in 2017. He fixated on Trubisky and was so concerned about another team swooping in that he traded three picks to the 49ers to move up to No. 2.
The Chiefs traded up to take Mahomes at No. 10, and the Texans took Watson at No. 12.
In Mahomes’ first game at Soldier Field in 2019, he scored a rushing touchdown in the Chiefs’ 26-3 victory and celebrated by counting to 10 on his fingers to remind the Bears that he could have been theirs.
The Bears began regretting the Trubisky pick in his third season, when he finished 28th in the league in passer rating at 83.0. They traded for Jaguars quarterback Nick Foles in the ensuing offseason and parted with Trubisky after 2020.
Trubisky played in 51 games, starting 50, for the Bears in four seasons. He completed 64% of his passes, averaged 208 yards passing per game, threw 64 touchdown passes and 37 interceptions and had an 87.2 passer rating.
