Mitchell Trubisky Gets Honest in Return to Chicago: ‘It’s a Privilege and I Miss That’
Mitchell Trubisky returned to Chicago over the weekend, not as the face of a franchise but as a backup quarterback for the Buffalo Bills. No longer the center of attention, no longer carrying the weight of a city’s expectations, but still very much in touch with what the city once meant to him—and still does. As he stood on the visitor’s sideline at Soldier Field, the memories came flooding back. The highs, the lows, the roaring crowds, the critics, the pressure, the love, and yes, the heartbreak. And Trubisky, now older and wiser, didn’t hide from any of it. He embraced it.
“It’s a privilege,” he said quietly after the game. “And I miss that.” Simple words, but loaded with meaning. This wasn’t just a cliché-riddled postgame answer. This was a moment of reflection from a player who’s seen both sides of the NFL spotlight. Drafted second overall in 2017 by the Chicago Bears, Trubisky came into the league with enormous expectations. He was supposed to be the one. The quarterback who finally gave the Bears a long-term answer. The one who would lift them from years of mediocrity and into the elite tier. And for a while, it looked like maybe he would.
In 2018, Trubisky helped lead the Bears to a 12-4 record, earned a Pro Bowl nod, and played a central role in Matt Nagy’s Coach of the Year campaign. There were flashes of brilliance: the six-touchdown game against Tampa Bay, the big win over the Vikings, the dramatic drive in the playoff loss to the Eagles that should’ve been remembered for his clutch throws rather than a missed field goal. But the honeymoon didn’t last. The following seasons brought inconsistency, questions about development, and growing frustrations from fans and media. By 2020, it was clear his time in Chicago was coming to an end.
Now, Trubisky returns not as the guy everyone is watching, but as a backup who has carved out a new kind of career path—one defined by humility, patience, and perspective. In Buffalo, he’s embraced the role of support system. He’s worked behind Josh Allen, helped younger players, and accepted the fact that sometimes the league moves fast, and your story doesn’t always go how you thought it would. But that doesn’t mean he’s bitter. In fact, if anything, Trubisky seems more appreciative than ever. Especially of Chicago.
Walking into Soldier Field this time, he said it hit him. Not just the stadium, but the atmosphere, the skyline, the memories of packed Sundays and frigid playoff nights. The boos, the cheers—they were all part of it. And he didn’t run from any of it. Instead, he spoke about it like someone who’s finally made peace with a chapter that, for a long time, felt unfinished.
“I grew a lot here,” he said. “It wasn’t always easy, but I’m grateful for it. The people, the city, the team—it all shaped me.” He went on to talk about his former teammates, many of whom he still keeps in touch with, and even some of the coaches who were part of his early years. He called his time in Chicago “formative,” which is the kind of word you use when you’ve done some serious reflecting. Trubisky doesn’t seem like someone trying to erase the past. He seems like someone who’s finally accepted it for what it was.
And that might be the biggest sign of growth. Because let’s be honest: Chicago and Trubisky didn’t part ways on great terms. Fans were frustrated. The team declined his fifth-year option. The national media often used his name as shorthand for draft mistakes. He was labeled a bust by many and overlooked by most. But in a league where most players fade away quietly, Trubisky has managed to stick around. He’s still in the league, still preparing every week, still staying ready. That says something.
There’s also something human about the way he spoke about missing it. He didn’t have to say that. Plenty of guys would’ve taken the diplomatic route, said something generic about moving on, or refused to engage with the past at all. But Trubisky didn’t do that. He leaned in. He owned it. And that kind of honesty is rare in a league built on ego and image. It shows a maturity that probably wasn’t there when he first walked onto that field in a Bears uniform years ago.
The fans in Chicago, even the ones who soured on him, had mixed emotions seeing him back. Some cheered. Some groaned. But most seemed to respect the moment. Time has a way of softening the edges. And even if it didn’t end the way everyone wanted, Trubisky gave the city everything he had. He showed up, he worked, he competed. That counts for something. Especially in a city like Chicago that values grit and resilience.
For the Bills, Trubisky remains a valuable piece of the puzzle. Not the franchise QB, but a steady hand in the room, a guy who’s seen it all and can step in if needed. That might not be the future he envisioned on draft night, but it’s an honorable role. And if the time ever comes when he gets another shot to start somewhere else, you get the feeling he’ll be ready. Maybe not because of what he learned in Buffalo—but because of everything he lived through in Chicago.
This game didn’t mean much on the scoreboard. It was a preseason matchup, mostly about evaluation and depth. But for Trubisky, it clearly meant more. It was a chance to walk back into a stadium that once held his future, and this time, walk out with perspective. He didn’t throw a game-winning touchdown. He didn’t need to. Just being there, soaking it in, and speaking honestly about what it meant was enough.
“It’s still special,” he said, before boarding the bus with his new team. “Always will be.”
The NFL moves fast. Teams turn the page quickly. But sometimes, a player and a city are linked forever—not because of a Super Bowl or a record, but because of a journey they went through together. That’s what Trubisky and Chicago will always have. A complicated, imperfect, but undeniably real connection. And sometimes, that’s more powerful than any stat line.
