Chicago Bears: 5 players who shouldn’t return in 2021

Chicago Bears bid farewell to Mitch

This will no doubt be the most controversial of the five players projected to not return in 2021, but after evaluating his entire body of work, it’s hard to see him return. That body of work has shown Mitch to be a highly inconsistent quarterback who can make amazing plays at times, but still struggles with the basic skills necessary for playing quarterback in this league. If this was year two, you’d give him more grace, but Mitch will be entering year five.

They already declined his fifth-year option, and so the odds were always against him returning. The only thing that could have saved him was a solid performance in 2020 where he showed significant growth. While he had a nice stretch of games towards the end of the season, it came almost exclusively against the worst defenses in the league.

When Mitch faced two quality teams at the end of the year, he struggled against both the Green Bay Packers and the Saints. It was proof that the changed scheme to running mostly placation bootlegs, where the field was cut in half for Mitch, simply isn’t sustainable.

Candidly, it’s probably best for both parties if Mitch and the team go their separate ways. A fresh start will do both a world of good.