LAKE FOREST, Ill. (670 The Score) -- Bears general manager Ryan Pace realized the significance of his bold decision that late April night in 2017. He believed great days were ahead for the franchise.
Pace and the Bears had just traded a haul of picks to move up one spot to No. 2 overall in the NFL Draft, ensuring they would land the quarterback who was so coveted inside Halas Hall: Mitchell Trubisky, the then-22-year-old whose potential enamored Pace and his brass.
"If we want to be great, you just can't sit on your hands," Pace said with confidence after drafting Trubisky that evening. "There are times when you've got to be aggressive and when you have conviction on a guy, you can't sit on your hands. I just don't want to be average around here -- I want to be great, and these are the moves you have to make.
"The most important position in all of sports is quarterback, and I don't think you're ever a great team until you address the position and you address it right."
With nearly three seasons completed since that fateful night, the evidence is abundant that the Bears were wrong in their choice. This Sunday night at Soldier Field will bring the latest reminder of that failed decision.
The Chiefs (10-4) visit the Bears (7-7) for a primetime matchup having already secured the AFC West crown while still seeking a first-round bye in the playoffs. They reached the AFC Championship game last January and are Super Bowl contenders once again. That's largely because Kansas City is led by reigning MVP Patrick Mahomes, who has elevated the play of those around him and the team with his dynamic talent. The Chiefs selected Mahomes at No. 10 overall in the 2017 draft, eight picks after Trubisky went to the Bears.
Mahomes has enjoyed the kind of success in his young career that Pace believed was ahead for Trubisky, who has instead been inconsistent in his first three years. Trubisky hasn't been caliber of player to lift the team to greatness as Pace imagined, and the Bears enter this Sunday already eliminated from playoff contention primarily because their offense has been a disappointment all season long.
Trubisky realizes he will be measured to Mahomes his entire career.
"There are no do-overs," Trubisky said. "We are where we are. Our careers are going in different paths, and they will for the rest of time. They're always going to be compared against each other."
During the lead-up to that defining 2017 draft, there wasn't a consensus on which quarterback would be the best between Trubisky, Mahomes and Deshaun Watson, whom the Texans eventually selected at No. 12 overall.
Trubisky had started just one season at North Carolina, leading to discussion of upside against inexperience. Mahomes made remarkable throws at Texas Tech that led to wonders of whether he could pull them off in the NFL. Watson guided Clemson to a national championship but struggled to protect the football.
Mahomes has thrown for 8,987 yards and 73 touchdowns with a 109.5 quarterback rating in 29 NFL games. Watson has accumulated 9,532 passing yards and 71 touchdowns with a 102.0 rating in 37 games. Trubisky has thrown for 8,190 yards and 48 touchdowns with an 86.4 rating in 39 games.
"He's growing and he's learning," Bears coach Matt Nagy said. "He's gone through a lot, and we've gone through a lot. I'm very proud of the way he's handled himself throughout."
The 25-year-old Trubisky should no longer be a developmental player, but that's what the Bears consider him to be. In the coming months, the Bears will be forced to evaluate the hefty price of a fifth-year option for Trubisky while also considering a team-friendly contract extension. There's no simple solution to figuring Trubisky's future in Chicago, the byproduct of his uneven play.
Trubisky has revealed a more confident self at the end of this season, which inspires hope there's something better ahead. He has at the least validated the Bears if they choose to bring him back as the presumptive starter in 2020.
But Trubisky hasn't produced the glory that Pace believed would come and what Mahomes has brought to the Chiefs. So the comparisons will persist, with a stark contrast clear.
"I would say I'm developing," Trubisky said. "Obviously it doesn't always show in the statistical categories, but I feel like I've learned a lot throughout the season. I've gotten a lot more comfortable in certain areas. I've definitely grown as a leader, being able to speak up, getting closer with coach and being on the same page, communicating throughout the week and being more involved in the game plan and the checks throughout the game.
"I've grown in ways that don't necessarily show up on paper. Still got a long ways to go."
Chris Emma covers the Bears, Chicago's sports scene and more for 670TheScore.com. Follow him on Twitter @CEmma670.
