(670 The Score) What motivates Mitchell Trubisky?
He's four seasons into a tenure in Chicago that seems bound to the end by early 2021. He's fighting for a coach in Matt Nagy and team that gave up on him just a few months ago. He's perhaps wondering what could be next.
The Bears still have team goals on the table, with their playoff hopes bleak but alive. Nagy probably needs more wins to save his job in Chicago. All the while, Trubisky is staring at the uncertainty of his looming free agency in March.
Is that what drives Trubisky?
"I think he sees this as a great opportunity to go out with another chance to play football," said Bears passing game coordinator Dave Ragone, who has been with Trubisky since he was drafted No. 2 overall in 2017. "I don't think he's looking at what the future holds.
"I just feel right now he's absolutely just in the moment, and whatever obviously happens after the year happens after the year."
Once viewed as the Bears' future franchise quarterback, Trubisky has watched as the team has taken steps to move forward without him. The Bears acquired veteran quarterback Nick Foles in a trade in March, then declined Trubisky's fifth-year option in early May before offering him one last chance as their starting quarterback to open the regular season.
It seemed that opportunity was over when the Bears benched Trubisky for Foles in a game on Sept. 27. Trubisky rode the bench for seven games as the backup before being named the starter again on Nov. 27, exactly two months to the date of his sudden demotion. The promotion came as Foles dealt with injury.
"I was always hopeful for another opportunity," Trubisky said after being named the starter.
Trubisky has provided a spark for the Bears' offense, which ranked near the bottom of the league while Foles was the starter. Trubisky has played well in the last three games, including a performance in a 36-7 win against the Texans on Sunday that was one of the best of his NFL career. Trubisky was 24-of-33 for 267 yards and three touchdowns in the victory.
Bears coach Matt Nagy and offensive coordinator Bill Lazor committed to an offense that best suits Trubisky's strengths, moving the pocket with play-action rollouts and naked bootlegs. The Bears often snapped the football within seconds of breaking the huddle, allowing Trubisky to take what he wanted against a poor, unprepared Texans defense.
To put it more simply: Nagy and Lazor are finally relying on play designs that give Trubisky his best chance to succeed. Ragone feels Trubisky is playing with a different confidence. And Nagy sees his success as "real."
"Every player in this league has their own story," Nagy said. "And we don't know where Mitch's story is going to end up. But all we can do right now is focus on where he's at right now at this moment. When you talk about a kid who has been through a lot -- putting it out there, he's been through a lot in three years, four years -- for him to be able to get where he's at right now the way he's doing it, that's a credit to him. You can't take that away from him.
"What he's trying to do right now is be the greatest quarterback he can be for the Chicago Bears, be the greatest leader he can be for the Chicago Bears, be the greatest teammate he can be for the Chicago Bears. And the last three games, his performance individually has been pretty good."
Trubisky's time in Chicago is still likely going to be over after these final three regular-season games. The Bears have Foles under contract for two more seasons and could also be seeking their next quarterback in the draft. It's possible the Bears could offer Trubisky a team-friendly two- or three-year deal, but wouldn't a fresh start serve both sides best?
In Chicago, Trubisky will never be able to escape the narratives surrounding the Bears' fateful decision in the 2017 NFL Draft and the comparisons to star quarterbacks Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson. After four seasons, it's clear what Trubisky is as a quarterback.
Trubisky's best chance could come with a team that sees him not as the quarterback he was supposed to be but rather the quarterback he still could be.
He has every reason to be motivated by that.
Chris Emma covers the Bears, Chicago’s sports scene and more for 670TheScore.com. Follow him on Twitter @CEmma670.
