Former Chicago Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky signed a one-year deal with Buffalo Bills on Thursday to serve as a backup for incumbent Josh Allen.
The terms were not announced.
Bill’s GM Brandon Beane said that this is a “reset” for Trubisky and that he doesn’t expect second choice in 2017 to be a long-term option behind Allen.
“I don’t know what happened in Chicago, but he started 50 games,” said Beane of Trubisky. “… I think the label was placed on Mitchell from a distance, that maybe he doesn’t deserve it. This is a reset for him. We don’t expect him to stay here for long.”
Trubisky, 26, started the 2020 season as a full-back for the Bears before losing his job to Nick Foles in Week 3, only to end the season as a starter, resuming his post in Week 12. He ended the season with 2,055 yards, 16 touchdowns and 8 interceptions, completing 67% of his passes.
Beane said the Bills will approach Allen sometime after the NFL draft – in May or possibly in the summer – about an extension, confirming the team’s interest in closing a deal during this off-season.
Trubisky’s future in Chicago had been tenuous since the Bears negotiated with Foles last April and declined Trubisky’s fifth-year option a little more than a month later.
Still, Trubisky expressed a willingness to return to Chicago for the 2021 season, telling reporters after the playoff loss to the New Orleans Saints that he had “outstanding business” with the team.
He has been under the microscope in Chicago since the Bears negotiated to select him. While Trubisky had a season of ups and downs in the NFL, defenders Patrick Mahomes (drafted 10th overall in 2017) and Deshaun Watson (12th overall) became quarterbacks for the franchise.
Trubisky went 29-21 as a starter in Chicago, shooting for 10,609 yards with 64 touchdowns and 37 interceptions, completing 64% of his passes. He also ran for 1,057 yards and eight touchdowns. He was a Pro Bowl selection in 2018, when he set records in passing yards (3,223) and touchdown passes (24).
ESPN Marcel Louis-Jacques and Jeff Dickerson contributed to this report.