Chicago Bears: Sadly, Ryan Pace sticking with Mitchell Trubisky in 2020

In his closing press conference for the 2019 season, Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Pace confirmed Mitchell Trubisky is still the guy.

But, for how long? The Chicago Bears were a shell of their 2018 version this past season, and general manager Ryan Pace has to answer for his team’s performance. It’s all on him to fix the holes and correct the mistakes — or else, he could be out of a job.

In his end-of-year press conference, Pace gave Bears fans two interesting nuggets.

First of all, and most importantly, Pace indeed committed to Mitchell Trubisky being the team’s starting quarterback when they kick off the 2020 season.

But, how short is Trubisky’s leash? That is going to be the real question to keep an eye on. As Pace admitted, the team may not commit to him beyond 2020.

The answers Pace gave us were a little bittersweet. On one hand, the Bears are supposedly committed to mediocrity at the quarterback position once again. Some might say Trubisky is even less than mediocre.

If the Bears are truly going to roll Trubisky out there as their starting quarterback in September, what does that mean?

Is Pace still open to drafting a quarterback in this year’s draft? How high would he spend a pick on a quarterback? There is a big difference between burning one of their two second-round picks versus a later selection in the sixth or seventh round — especially when the Bears do not hold picks in the first, third or fourth round at the moment.

If Trubisky is already the so-called starter, does that mean Pace is against a competition? If so, that would be a sad, career-ending mistake for the Bears GM. There is absolutely no way they can get away with zero quarterback competition over the summer.

Chicago has to provide Trubisky with a little heat; a fire under his you-know-what.

I admire Trubisky’s work ethic and how likable he is, but if he’s guaranteed a starting spot, he won’t have that extra push over the offseason. Out of any current starter in the NFL right now, Trubisky needs that extra competition the most.

We will see if Pace backtracks at all over the coming months, or if he re-explains his intentions come draft time. But, for now, Bears fans should feel uneasy at best.