There are six men walking the planet that know the pressure of being a quarterback drafted by the Bears in the first round.
Two of them stood on Fields 3 and 4 at Halas Hall for a joint practice Friday against the Bills — Caleb Williams and Mitch Trubisky. The former is the No. 1 overall pick and the hope of a franchise that has never mastered the quarterback position; the latter is the Bills’ backup.
Trubisky, the No. 2 overall pick in 2017, doesn’t bemoan the pressure that came with his draft status. If anything, he seemed to miss it.
That was his advice for Williams: embrace the pressure.
“It is a fishbowl, but at the same time, I would say, ‘Enjoy it,’” he said. “Take it all in. I only had it for four years. I wish I had it longer, to be honest. Take it in. Enjoy the process. All eyes are on you in the city, but it’s really a privilege. There’s a lot of pressure that comes with that, but it’s a privilege.
“I miss that. It’s a lot of fun to be the franchise guy, especially in a city like this.”
Trubisky led the Bears to their last two playoff berths — the double-doink loss that ended their 2018 run and a forgettable first-round loss to the Saints as the NFC’s first-ever No. 7 at the end of the 2020 season.
In 2018, Trubisky was part of a 12-4 team that “felt like we couldn’t lose.” In 2020, he returned from a benching to finish the season 6-3 as a starter.
“I was proud of the way I handled it,” Trubisky said. “Adversity is going to come at you in all types of different ways.”
Trubisky tried to enjoy every part of his Bears career while he played. The appreciation, though, has come with time. He’s married with a son now.
“I think looking back on it, I wish I would have enjoyed it even more,” he said.
The Bears didn’t pick up Trubisky’s fifth-year option and sent him into free agency after the 2020 season. He signed with the Bills to apprentice under Josh Allen but threw only eight passes in 2021. He went to the Steelers on a two-year deal, going 2-5 as a starter, before returning to the Bills last season.
Trubisky could start Sunday night against the Bears at Soldier Field, though he said the team had yet to tell him their plans.
“I still have the competitive fire in me that still wants to go out and complete every pass and go out there and win,” he said. “And the preseason is fun. Because nowadays that’s where I’m getting a lot of my reps. So you try to make those count.”
Friday, he greeted what few teammates remain on the Bears — just tight end Cole Kmet, cornerback Jaylon Johnson and kicker Cairo Santos — and said hello the Bears’ security guards, equipment staff and chairman George McCaskey.
“It’s exciting and scary at the same time,” he said. “I mean, you get drafted here and then in the blink of an eye it’s nine years later and I’m on a different team and going into Year 9. So life comes at you fast.”
He still gets recognized around these parts, though — including at dinner with teammates at Montverde on Thursday night.
As for Williams: Trubisky doesn’t know him well — they’ve chatted in passing — but he wants him to do well. He knows more than most what that would mean to a young quarterback.
“Seems like he has a bunch of arm talent and can use his legs …” he said. “I just hope he can do good things for the Bears.”