Bears: Trubisky and Nagy will sink or swim together

No matter what happens the rest of this season, the Chicago Bears will likely keep both Mitch Trubisky and Matt Nagy together for one more offseason.

Chicago Bears fans everywhere are continually debating who is likely to remain with the organization longest: quarterback Mitch Trubisky or head coach Matt Nagy? It’s a fair and legitimate question being raised at this point, given their season-long struggles.

Yet, despite the up-and-down roller-coaster ride this quarterback/coaching tandem has provided us, it’d be incredibly foolish for Ryan Pace and company to simply cut bait with either member following the conclusion of this season.

For those clamoring that the organization must fire Nagy, it’d be a poor decision; in large part because Trubisky will be playing out the final season of his contract in 2020, assuming the front office doesn’t pick up his fifth-year option during the offseason. Despite their struggles building continuity during games, Trubisky and Nagy will now have two full seasons of work together in the same offensive scheme.

Starting over from scratch again at head coach would force Trubisky to possibly learn an entirely new offensive system in an official make-or-break season. No doubt that would stunt his already muddying development as a franchise signal caller. The organization would thus be better off betting on Nagy to be the safest bet to bring out the most in Trubisky’s play on the field moving forward.

As for those who hope to see the organization move on from Trubisky following this season, that’s unlikely to happen given his contract situation mentioned above, as well as the fact that finding a new young franchise signal caller will be nearly impossible for the organization to execute this offseason. Due to the Khalil Mack trade, the Bears do not have a single first-round pick in the upcoming NFL Draft. Many of the high-level quarterbacks coming out from college will not be available for the Bears’ picking by the second round.

Furthermore, no matter how Trubisky plays the rest of this season, he’ll likely have a spot on the roster next season, given the organization’s unwavering belief in his overall potential. To Trubisky’s credit, he played well against the Detroit Lions, although every quarterback plays well against their lackluster pass defense.

Still, in every game, Trubisky will have at least one play or two that will remind everyone why the organization fell in love with him during the pre-draft process. Despite his shortcomings to date, Trubisky does have plenty of great qualities that are coveted in a franchise quarterback, most notably his ability to extend plays with his feet.

In short, expect both Trubisky and Nagy to remain with the organization for at least one more season together. It’s too risky to part ways with either one in the short-term, given that the Bears’ championship window is only open for so long. Committing to a new head coach or franchise quarterback would likely signal an end to the Pace era before we know it.