The Bears are moving toward a split with quarterback Mitchell Trubisky.
Trubisky, the second overall pick in the 2017 NFL draft, will not have his fifth-year option picked up, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.
That doesn’t necessarily mean Trubisky can’t re-establish himself as the Bears’ franchise quarterback of the future, but it does mean that for now, the Bears are positioning themselves to move on from Trubisky after the 2020 season.
If Trubisky can beat out Nick Foles for the starting job this year, play well and lead the Bears back to the playoffs, he can make the Bears regret not picking up the option. In that case, the Bears could still hold on to Trubisky by franchising him or signing him to a long-term deal.
But as of now, it appears that the Bears — who traded up for Trubisky when they could have stayed put or even traded down and drafted Patrick Mahomes or Deshaun Watson — are going to be done with Trubisky at the end of this year.