Trubisky makes return to Soldier Field, will start Saturday against Bears
Saturday will feel very familiar for former Bears quarterback Mitch Trubisky.
He will be starting a football game at Soldier Field, something he did dozens of times over the past four years. The difference, of course, will be that he's going to be wearing a Buffalo Bills uniform.
The Bills announced Thursday that starting quarterback Josh Allen won't play in Saturday's preseason game against the Bears. Allen isn't injured. The Bills are simply being cautious with their starting quarterback. That means the 26-year-old Trubisky will start against his former team.
For the Bears, there's no hard feelings for how things ended with Trubisky. After four years tied to Trubisky, the team elected not to re-sign the quarterback during the off-season, letting him walk away in free agency.
“We understand that there's the business side and then there's the personal side,” Bears coach Matt Nagy said. “And the respect that we have for him as both, as a person and as a player, I think everybody here has that for him, all his teammates and coaches. We wish him nothing but the best.”
Trubisky signed a one-year, $2.5 million contract with Buffalo in March. He will back up an established starter in Allen.
Meanwhile, the Bears brought in veteran Andy Dalton and drafted rookie Justin Fields in the first round. Turning the page on the Trubisky era was a must after back-to-back fruitless seasons with Trubisky at quarterback.
Trubisky said last week that Buffalo made sense because he felt wanted by the team. When no starting jobs emerged via free agency, Buffalo was a solid option.
“It's just really nice to be a part of a great team and be somewhere where people want you here, and they care about how you're progressing as a person, as a player,” Trubisky told the Buffalo media. “It was an interesting process, but I feel like I'm right where I'm supposed to be right now, and I'm enjoying being here.”
Nagy and Trubisky worked closely together for three years. Nagy took the head-coaching job with the Bears knowing that unlocking Trubisky would be a big part of his job.
He was never quite successful at doing it.
It will be a strange feeling for all involved Saturday watching Trubisky play against the Bears.
“When the game's going on, we're going to do everything we can to stop him,” Nagy said. “When the game's over, we're going to be friends and have good stories. So that's the part of life in the NFL for all of us, but it is a relationship business and I think it's important that everyone understands that on our end we care about him as a person.”
Bears safety Eddie Jackson said Trubisky is “still my guy.” Jackson and Trubisky were part of the same Bears draft class in 2017. Trubisky, of course, went second overall, while Jackson was a fourth-round pick.
“Outside of football, that's still my guy, that's still my brother,” Jackson said. “I want the best for him and his family. Him going there, taking this next step, this new chapter in his life, is something he's going to learn from. He can put all this stuff behind him and prove people wrong.
“Mitch had a lot of people against him. Right now, it's just turning the critics to fans.”