(670 The Score) Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky found motivation when the team traded for veteran quarterback Nick Foles in March, stating that he's eager to prove himself in 2020.
The Bears' unchallenged starter at quarterback since September 2017, Trubisky now faces a competition to win back his job this season.
"It was kind of interesting to me," Trubisky said Friday in his first media session with local reporters since late December. "But that's the business that we're in. I think I was kind of pissed off, in a good way. I've been motivated ever since.
"I still feel like this is my team. I'm excited for the competition."
The Bears traded the Jaguars a fourth-round pick to acquire the 31-year-old Foles, who's an eight-year NFL veteran with 48 career starts. Foles was Super Bowl LII MVP in February 2018.
Trubisky, 25, was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft. He has started 41 games over three NFL seasons, completing 63.4 percent of his passes for 8,554 yards, 48 touchdowns and 29 interceptions. The Bears declined Trubisky's fifth-year option in early May, which will make him an unrestricted free agent after this season.
"It wasn't really a big surprise to me," Trubisky said of that move. "I kind of felt like I had it coming.
"The way I played last year didn't merit that."
The Bears' quarterback competition will be held without biases, coach Matt Nagy has said on numerous occasions. With no on-field work being conducted during a virtual offseason, the competition will begin in earnest when training camp is scheduled to begin late July.
Trubisky believes that the limited work this offseason offers him an advantage against Foles but acknowledged that the decision will be based on performance.
"I'm going to play my heart and soul out for this team and give it everything I've got," Trubisky said.
Trubisky spent the early portion of his offseason recovering and rehabbing from surgery to repair a tear in his left shoulder. Since returning to full health, he had a gym installed in the basement of his Chicago-area home and has been organizing private workouts with Bears teammates.
It's all part of the process for Trubisky to prove he can still be the Bears' starter -- for 2020 and the future.
"All I can do is control what I can control," Trubisky said. "And that's go out and try to have a hell of a year with my teammates."