Pace: Nick Foles, Mitchell Trubisky in an ‘open competition’

The Chicago Bears traded for quarterback Nick Foles early in the new league year, in hopes of boosting competition at the quarterback position. Bears general manager Ryan Pace is now saying Foles and former first round pick Mitchell Trubisky are in an “open competition.”

Trubisky took a step forward from his rookie season to put up decent numbers in 2018. However, he took a step backward in 2019 and speculation soon built that the team might look to make a change. The Bears sent a fourth round pick to the Jacksonville Jaguars to acquire Foles, and then restructured his existing contract to provide him an opt-out after either of the next two seasons. He still has $21 million in guaranteed money on his deal.

DraftKings Sportsbook is offering odds on who will claim the QB job in Week 1, and Foles is favored at -159, while Trubisky sits at +125. The Bears have a decision to make on Trubisky’s fifth-year option, but have until early May to make that call. Picking up the option will guarantee it for injury only, but if they decline it, that might tell us a lot about this so-called competition.