Sage Rosenfels column: Bears gave up more than draft picks in Trubisky trade

Sage Rosenfels is a former 12-year NFL quarterback who writes, does radio, and podcasts about the NFL and college football.

I had planned on writing a fairly simple article this week dissecting each quarterback drafted, the team they were going to, and how they would fit into the future plans of that organization. My three-day agenda was to watch every minute of the NFL draft and see how the quarterback dominoes would fall. But before I got comfortable on my couch, my plan for this article changed.

Once the Chicago Bears moved up a slot and grabbed Mitch Trubisky with the second overall selection, I had a variety of thoughts race through my mind, all of them confusing and mostly negative. I’m still baffled by the pick, but not surprised by who created my discomfort.

To set the record straight. My dad is from Chicago. I grew up in Eastern Iowa, about three hours from Soldier Field. I was 7 when the Bears did the Super Bowl Shuffle. The Bears have a special place in my heart. Even though I played for the Vikings and now follow that team closer than the others, the Bears were my squad growing up. I blame some of my outspoken behavior on Twitter on Jim McMahon, because he was all about “fighting the man.” The football team from the Windy City is still dear to me after all of these years.

This is why this pick hurts so much.

It stings, not because Trubisky won’t be a great quarterback, but because the pick makes zero sense considering the current Bears' quarterback situation. This makes a historic franchise with unbelievably loyal and passionate fans look like a Single-A baseball team (the ones who wonder why 25-cent Beer Night is a bad idea). NFL draft experts use the term “reaching” about once an hour during the course of the three-day must-watch reality show. You could say what Chicago did was "reach," but I could also describe it as reaching inside a honey badger cage. It was a really bad idea.

For four years, I have sang the praises of Mike Glennon. I was impressed by the way he competed as a rookie on a bad team in Tampa. His stats, if the Bucs were a better football team, would have put him in the conversation for Rookie of the Year. The 2013 season was a historically terrible year for rookie quarterbacks. Yet Glennon, a third-round pick, threw 19 touchdowns to nine interceptions with a solid 83.9 rating. Not bad, considering the Bucs were one of the worst teams in football.

I was a quarterback, and spent far too much time studying quarterbacks. I analyze how they move in the pocket, the way the ball comes off their hand, the mechanics of their throwing motion, their feet, flexibility, and even how they communicate in the media. All of the boxes get checked when estimating if Glennon has the ability to play the quarterback position at a fairly high level.

I don’t have a crystal ball, but I've shared my opinions with a handful of well-respected NFL offensive coordinators who like Glennon as well. After the Bucs had a horrific final season under Lovie Smith, Jameis Winston was drafted and Glennon hit the bench. Multiple teams were interested in trading for his services, but in the end, no deal was made. Glennon was forced to bide his time, then finally got an opportunity with the legendary Chicago Bears. Imagine how excited he must have been to finally be the face of the franchise. His job wasn't going to be easy, as the NFC North is one of the most hotly contested divisions in the league. But he was getting his chance - and a massive paycheck - and sounded up for the challenge.

By the way his contract was structured, this was a “one year and we’ll see” deal. It gave him an opportunity, but he had to play well to be there long term. Glennon was a perfect fit for the Bears. They found a possible franchise quarterback without taking much risk. Glennon is in his prime and could have been the long-lost answer to Chicago’s quarterback woes.

Then the Bears made a decision to do what nobody thought they would do, move up and draft Trubisky. Here’s free advice for the Bears: if you make a decision that nobody else in the league thinks makes sense, it doesn’t.

You knew you were drafting third in the draft four months ago. The prime free-agency period - when you signed Glennon - was two months ago. You have college scouts and personnel directors who I assume analyzed all of these college quarterbacks with a fine-toothed comb. You should have known a lot about Trubisky well before free agency started in March. Not that much has occurred, other than private workouts, since signing Glennon. Months ago, you should have known if you liked Trubisky so much that you would make him the second player taken in the NFL draft.

There is no way that since early March you have somehow concluded Trubisky is going to be a great player. Nothing, not even a great private workout, could or should persuade you that much. Sorry, but your actions concerning the most important position in the NFL make no sense.

Let me give you all a hint about quarterbacks. While we can have thick skin, we all like to be praised and encouraged. Giving a quarterback a big contract based off the belief that he will be an important piece of the franchise is the first thing teams do to show its support for one.

The second thing a franchise does to raise the confidence of its quarterback is to give him an offensive line and skill-position weapons to distribute the ball to. Lastly, smart teams give a franchise quarterback ownership of the offense by involving him in the playbook and game-planning process. While gushing about everything your starting QB does isn’t a good idea, building him up with legitimate confidence is a great idea.

The Chicago Bears just did the exact opposite. Glennon hasn’t even taken a snap for the them, yet they've made their opinion of him known. Though they have needs at numerous positions with plenty of premier talent to choose from early in the first round, the Bears told Glennon they would rather have a one-year wonder than him or any player in college football not named Myles Garrett.

That’s exactly what the Bears did. They gave up multiple picks to draft Trubisky when they could have had another player who would have massive upside. Teams don’t do that when they already have a good player in place who they just signed to a big contract. That contract plugged that hole, which allowed them to draft another position of need. It isn’t just the fact they now have two young question marks at the quarterback position, they also failed to grab a premier player at another position. The opportunity cost of this blunder should not be overlooked.

If you think the Bears have a plan as to how this situation plays out, I wouldn’t count on it. Since Trubisky has only one year of real college experience, are they expecting him to play this year? Next season, do they really want an inexperienced rookie going head to head with Aaron Rodgers, Matt Stafford, and the Vikings' defense?

If their plan is to sit Trubisky for a year and let Glennon give it his best shot as the starter, do they really think this move helps the latter's ability to perform? All year, Bears fans will be clamoring for the rookie, especially as the Bears start to lose, which they will. This makes it almost impossible to play the position. The worst thing you can do to any athlete - especially a quarterback - is have him walking on egg shells while looking over his shoulder. This is exactly what the Bears have done to Glennon. Playing quarterback in the NFL is hard. Performing at a high level while trying to be absolutely perfect is impossible.

What if Glennon plays great this year? What if, whether he's the Week 1 starter or if Trubisky gets hurt, Glennon plays Pro Bowl-level football for the Bears? Then what? This situation has happened recently, as the Chargers drafted Phillip Rivers while Drew Brees was entering the fourth year of his rookie deal. Brees then went out and won 12 games, went to the Pro Bowl, and was franchised. If Brees doesn’t destroy his throwing shoulder in the final game of his fifth season, the Chargers would have been in a pickle. All of this time, San Diego could have had Brees and spent that first pick on another player or traded it for a slew of players. San Diego had a future Hall of Fame quarterback and could have made a Herschel Walker-type trade which could have forever changed the franchise. Instead, they went with Rivers, and Brees left without the Chargers receiving any sort of compensation.

The Bears are also wasting valuable salary-cap space. If Trubisky ends up being the starter, the Bears are paying their backup quarterback $15 million this year. About $12 million of that could have been spent on upgrading their roster. I doubt the Bears believe they have great players at every position, so that cap space could have come in handy.

Chicago has been searching for a great quarterback for decades. The first 15 minutes of the 2017 NFL Draft showed the rest of the NFL the reason. The Bears have not, do not, and will not understand what it takes to find, groom, and nurture an NFL starting quarterback until they can see one right in front of their eyes. Except they’ve already had one in their locker room for the last two months. Not only has this decision weakened their team for 2017, it also makes players and agents around the league wonder if the Bears have any idea what they are doing.

If players in free agency actually care about winning, the Bears aren’t currently indicating they have a good plan to do so regularly. They gave up much more than draft picks and millions of dollars for their quarterbacks this offseason - they also gave up their credibility, if they still had any left.

(Photos courtesy: USA Today Sports)