For the remainder of Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson’s careers, Chicago Bears fans will be reminded that their general manager passed on a generational talent for a quarterback that didn’t survive his rookie deal.
Even four years later, the reminders that Ryan Pace chose the safe, unproven option in Mitchell Trubisky over proven guys with extraordinary ceilings like Mahomes and Deshaun Watson have already gotten old.
But the reminders still hurt, especially as Trubisky was benched in favor of veteran Nick Foles, a clear indication that Trubisky’s time in Chicago is likely done while Mahomes and Watson have only just begun and are faces of the future in this league.
To pour salt on the wound, a new feature from Kalyn Kahler of Bleacher Report revealed that the Bears were in close talks with Mahomes during the draft process. As we know, they didn’t meet with Watson, and it was Trubisky and Mahomes that were the quarterbacks they were looking at.
In fact, according to Kahler, the Bears told Mahomes that he was their top choice at quarterback, which led him to believe that he was going to be a Chicago Bear. And the thought is enough to make you want to shout at the sky — or Pace himself.
To pile on to the draft regret, league sources say that sometime in early March of that year, the Bears told Mahomes that he was their top quarterback in the class, and gave Mahomes the strong presumption they would take him. This further explains why Mahomes counted to 10 on his fingers after passing for a touchdown at Soldier Field last season. “10” for his draft position, a message to the team who passed on their “top quarterback.” The Bears’ interest in Mahomes was real, but the conversation with Mahomes that he was their top QB may have been a smokescreen to throw people off the scent of their actual top quarterback.
It’s important to note that Kahler mentions that, while the Bears were seriously interested in Mahomes, telling him he was their top choice could’ve been just another distraction to hide who Pace was really interested in with Trubisky. Which just makes it all the more frustrating.
From the sound of it, Pace was afraid to take a risk even knowing that the ceiling of a Mahomes could’ve been extraordinary for this franchise. Instead, he went with the safe pick, which turned out to be the worst pick, and set the franchise back several years.
Who knows if Mahomes would’ve been the absolute star he’s become with Andy Reid in Kansas City had the Bears drafted him. But Mahomes has enough talent that he surely would’ve wowed the league had he been a Bear.
And not knowing what could’ve been, that’s something that’s going to continue to eat at Bears fans. Long after Trubisky’s exit from Chicago and right up through Mahomes’ possible Hall of Fame induction.