Report: 'Strong belief' Mitch Trubisky will sign with new franchise, compete for starting job

NFL quarterback Mitch Trubisky, now an unrestricted free agent, could be on the move — and not as a backup, according to a report.

Trubisky, 27, spent last season as a backup to Josh Allen on the Buffalo Bills, but a recent report from Yahoo! Sports’ Charles Robinson suggests that Trubisky may stay in New York and sign with the New York Giants, where the organization would bring him in to compete for the starting job with Daniel Jones.

“Quick note on a QB not named Wilson or Rodgers: Spoke to a team in the thick of it for a competitive backup QB in free agency, and they have a strong belief that Mitchell Trubisky is going to end up with the New York Giants and competing with Daniel Jones for the starting job,” Robinson tweeted.

Trubisky, a former four-star recruit according to the On3 Consensus, had a successful college career at UNC and earned third-team All-ACC honors in 2016, prompting the Chicago Bears to select him with the second-overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft. Trubisky never quite lived up to expectations in four seasons with the Bears.

Trubisky started all four years in Chicago, and he amassed 10,609 passing yards, completing 64 percent of his passes, while throwing 64 touchdowns and 37 interceptions. His best performance came in 2018, when he completed 66.6 percent of his passes for 3,223 passing yards, 24 passing touchdowns and 12 interceptions, a season that saw Trubisky named to the 2019 Pro Bowl.

Chicago traded four draft picks, including the No. 3-overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, to move up one spot and pick Trubisky, who never matriculated into the All-Pro-level quarterback that the Bears had expected. As such, Chicago decided to move on, ultimately selecting Justin Fields out of Ohio State, and Trubisky landed in Buffalo as a backup in 2021.

Should Trubisky move over to the Giants and compete with Jones for the starting role, the competition would feature two top-drafted quarterbacks, neither of whom have lived up to expectations. While Trubisky attended UNC, Jones attended Duke, and the 6-foot-5 Charlotte native never made an all-conference team in his time with the Blue Devils. He did, however, win two bowl MVP awards, one in the 2017 Quick Lane Bowl and one in the 2018 Independence Bowl. But in three years as the Giants’ starting quarterback, Jones has fallen far short of the expectations that came along with a No. 6-overall pick.

Jones has completed 62.8 percent of his passing attempts for 8,398 yards, 45 touchdowns and 29 interceptions in his time with the Giants. He finished last season with just 10 passing touchdowns and seven interceptions, throwing for 2,428 yards in 11 starts, as Jones missed plenty of time due to injuries.