Bears gave Patrick Mahomes ‘strong presumption’ they’d take him in 2017 NFL Draft

The Chicago Bears made a mistake during the 2017 NFL Draft when they passed on Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson. They did so in order to select Mitchell Trubisky to be their franchise quarterback.

Three years later, Mahomes is an NFL MVP and a Super Bowl champions. Meanwhile, Watson is one of the elite quarterbacks in the league. Trubisky, however, is now watching from the bench after Nick Foles took his job.

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Ironically enough, Mahomes was told back in 2017 that he was the top quarterback on the Bears’ draft board. Chicago may have done him a favor by passing on drafting him, but it will be something the Bears franchise will never forget, via Kalyn Kahler of Bleacher Report.

To pile on to the draft regret, league sources say that sometime in early March of that year, the Bears told Mahomes that he was their top quarterback in the class, and gave Mahomes the strong presumption they would take him. This further explains why Mahomes counted to 10 on his fingers after passing for a touchdown at Soldier Field last season. “10” for his draft position, a message to the team who passed on their “top quarterback.” The Bears’ interest in Mahomes was real, but the conversation with Mahomes that he was their top QB may have been a smokescreen to throw people off the scent of their actual top quarterback.

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The saddest part of passing on Mahomes and Watson is the fact they could have transformed the franchise. A reliable quarterback is the one thing the team has been missing for the past few years. Chicago had a formidable defense led by Khalil Mack and a decent running game. Although, Trubisky simply hasn’t been able to get the job done. As a result, Nick Foles is ultimately taking over three games into the 2020 NFL season.

The question moving forward is whether the Bears will find their future of the franchise at the quarterback position. How many titles and MVPs will Patrick Mahomes win in the meantime?