Not too long ago, back when Rex Ryan was on the sidelines and Nathan Peterman under center — or any other combination of crappy coaches and quarterbacks — Mitchell Trubisky would’ve been the plan for the Buffalo Bills at quarterback.
Now he’s an insurance policy to a bonafide MVP contender in Josh Allen. The Bills are just flexing their superiority, at this point. What a joy it is to see.
Buffalo signed Trubisky to a one-year deal on Thursday worth a reported $2.5 million. General manager Brandon Beane was frank when asked whether he thinks the former No. 2 overall pick will be in Orchard Park for long.
“We don’t expect him to be here long term,” he told reporters during his conference call with head coach Sean McDermott on Thursday. “This is a kind of a one-year [deal], probably [was] not in his plans when he was drafted where he was. But we hope it’s a great reset for him.”
Yes, Buffalo is now a destination for veterans in search of a career rehabilitation.
For the last 20 years, that title belonged to the New England Patriots, who practically guaranteed every new acquisition would enjoy the fruits of a Super Bowl run. But now, this is the Bills’ division, and everyone wants to join the party.
It’s wise for Trubisky to sign with Buffalo and work with McDermott and offensive coordinator Brian Daboll.
Josh Allen’s improvement has been downright remarkable. In his rookie season, he completed just 52.8% of his passes and posted a pedestrian quarterback rating of 67.9. The following year, he improved to respectability, and last season, catapulted himself to the top of the MVP discussion. Allen was a human highlight reel in 2020, throwing for 4,544 yards and 37 touchdowns — while rushing for eight as well. The Bills also made it all the way to the AFC Championship Game.
The difference is, unlike his sorry predecessors, Allen has been granted the gift of stability. McDermott runs one of the best operations in the NFL, and as a result, Buffalo is the ideal place to come for a second act. Trubisky certainly needs one.
It’s been a humiliating run for Trubisky, who was drafted ahead of Patrick Mahomes Deshaun Watson, yet found himself benched for Nick Foles. Matt Nagy’s inability to ring more out of Trubisky could be his ultimate undoing. As an apparent death knell, the Bears signed Andy Dalton this week to compete for their starting job.
There will be no such competition in Buffalo, where Trubisky enters as the best backup in the league, and that’s no consolation prize. We’ve learned the value of back up quarterbacks: even the Kansas City Chiefs had to turn to Chad Henne in a crucial playoff contest against the Cleveland Browns.
There are still positives to take from Trubisky’s game. The Bears actually went 6-3 when he started last season, and he reclaimed his starting job by Week 12. Trubisky finished with a career-high in completion percentage.
Despite Trubisky’s shortcomings, the Bears went 29-21 when he was under center. In four seasons, he threw for 10,609 yards with 64 touchdowns and 37 interceptions, while completing 64% of his passes. At 26-years-old, it’s too early to close the book on his NFL career.
But time is running out for Trubisky to reclaim his luster. Given the proliferation of dynamic rookie quarterbacks, there isn’t much patience for underachieved veterans anymore. Yes, Trubisky falling to the Bills is the sign of a soft quarterback market. But the fact that he chose Buffalo speaks volumes about the direction of the organization.
Any discarded veteran who spent a year in Bill Belichick’s program often re-entered free agency with the Patriots lore metaphysically surrounding him. Trubisky is counting on that same phenomenon happening in Buffalo.
Once a place where quarterbacks went to die, Trubisky is selecting Bills Stadium as the site of his football rebirth.
It’s great being at the top.
