Chicago Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky is seen on the sidelines with his arm in a sling during the second half of an NFL football game against the Minnesota Vikings Sunday, Sept. 29, 2019, in Chicago. Trubisky was injured during the first quarter and left the game. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

The Chicago Bears revealed Saturday that they will not pick up the fifth-year option on the contract of former UNC star quarterback Mitchell Trubisky, meaning he will be an unrestricted free agent following the upcoming 2020 season.

Trubisky was the No. 2 overall pick of the 2017 NFL Draft after one season as the starter for the Tar Heels, where he set the program’s all-time record for passing yards in a single season.

After an up-and-down season as a rookie, Trubisky played in the Pro Bowl the next year in 2018 after leading the Bears to a 12-4 record with 3,223 passing yards and 24 touchdowns. He also ran for 421 yards and three scores that year.

Last season, though, the Bears regressed to 8-8 despite high expectations with Trubisky shouldering a majority of the blame. The Ohio native battled a partially torn labrum in his left shoulder–which he had surgery to repair in January–and finished with just 17 touchdown passes and only 6.1 yards per passing attempt, a number which ranked 32nd in the NFL.

As a result, Chicago made a trade with the Jacksonville Jaguars for quarterback Nick Foles–who helped the Philadelphia Eagles win the Super Bowl just two seasons ago.

Foles and Trubisky are expected to compete for the starting job this year in training camp, with the latter trying to prove his worth to the organization that drafted him.

 

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Photo via Associated Press

 

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