The Chicago Bears need no reminding of the events of the 2017 NFL Draft. Passing on a generational talent like Patrick Mahomes, they have been haunted by their failure to land the eventual two-time Super Bowl MVP. In January 2023, Mahomes’s father added salt to the Bears’ wounds by claiming that his son wanted to be a Bear before they decided to trade up. Later that year, Mahomes blitzed past the Bears in a 41-22 win again reminding them of what they missed out on.

It’s been nearly eight years since that fateful, but the regret might still linger for the Chicago fans. The Bears needed a quarterback badly, and Patrick Mahomes was right there. So was Deshaun Watson, fresh off a National Championship win. The Chicago Bears had the third overall pick but traded up one spot. The stage was set. But they shocked everyone by picking Mitch Trubisky, a relatively unproven QB from North Carolina. And the rest, as they say, is history. As Mahomes and Chiefs gear up for an unprecedented 3-peat, the QB’s mother dripped yet another painful reminder for the Bears.

Ahead of Sunday’s AFC Championship game, Randi Mahomes took to Instagram and posted a video holding his son’s framed original draft card, reminiscing about the day the Chiefs selected him as the 10th overall pick.

Her caption read: “Sharing a #ProudParent moment! ❤️ Holding onto this draft card brings back so many memories. It was a loss for one team but the biggest win for the Chiefs and for us! Watching Patrick’s hard work pay off is a blessing I’ll always be grateful for.” The message was clear: the Bears’ loss was Kansas City’s jackpot. Watching Patrick become the league’s MVP and lead the Chiefs to multiple Super Bowls? Yeah, no prizes for guessing who got the better deal.

But what led to the Bears overlooking Mahomes, despite meeting him and seemingly set to draft him? In 2023, former Bears player personnel director Josh Lucas spoke to the Chicago Sun-Times to talk about why they passed on Mahomes and signed Trubisky.

Lucas was one of the Bears personnel who met with Mahomes at a Mexican restaurant in Lubbock, Texas before the draft. General Manager Ryan Pace, Coach John Fox, OC Dowell Loggains, and quarterbacks coach David Ragone all met with Mahomes and had become enamored with him. But something didn’t click for them in that meeting.

“He has a nervous energy, so you kinda question, ‘How composed is this kid?’” Lucas told the Sun-Times. “‘You’re about to hand off a franchise to him in the city of Chicago.’” But that wasn’t the only reason for their skepticism.

Top Comment by Jpizzle

I think a bunch of other teams missed out to. This has nothing to do with the bears. You are...more

Share your take

Debate

At Texas Tech, Mahomes had made some plays with stunning throws that had got everyone to sit up and take notice. The Bears, however, were unconvinced whether he could replicate this in the NFL.

“Your jaw hits the floor when you see (Mahomes) make some of these plays,” Lucas said. “But is that realistic? That’s where I really missed. …I didn’t think the things he did off-script would translate to consistent playmaking ability on our level. And he proved me wrong.”  Helping establish the Chiefs’ dynasty and making them a dominant force clearly means that Lucas and the rest of the Bears’ management were indeed proven wrong.

Moreover, in 2023, Patrick Mahomes Sr. made a sensational claim that his son wanted to move to Chicago before they snubbed him.

Talking on the 670, The Score after the Chiefs’ AFC Championship win, Mahomes Sr. said, “They told him they were going to draft him,” Mahomes Sr. said. “We thought he was going to be the third pick overall and go to Chicago. He had a great meeting when he went there and liked all the guys that were doing the stuff there and thought he was going to be a Bear. Then once they traded up and got Mitch, it kind of hurt him. It really did. 

He definitely wanted to be there,” Mahomes Sr. said. “He liked everything about it and he was looking forward to going there. Who doesn’t want to be the first quarterback taken in the draft? It was definitely a situation where he thought he was going to be there and be there for a long time.” Bears’ interest in Mahomes is well documented by now, but as fate would have it Kansas City swooped in at the right time to make what has proven to be one of the best acquisitions in NFL history.

While Mahomes has a fourth Super Bowl title in sight, the Bears are going through an overhaul after they finished bottom of the NFC North.

Bears are starting all over again

The Bears are officially cleaning the house, and new head coach Ben Johnson isn’t wasting time making his mark. Taking over a team mid-rebuild is no easy task, but Johnson’s first big move? Saying goodbye to interim head coach Thomas Brown and a handful of others. Brown stepped in as HC after Matt Eberflus was shown the door midseason. Before that, he was calling plays as offensive coordinator. While rookie QB Caleb Williams had a few bright moments under Brown, the season was a mess overall. When it rains, it pours, right?

But Brown isn’t the only one feeling the shake-up. Interim OC and WRs coach Chris Beatty is also out, along with O-line coach Chris Morgan. Both were part of a staff that couldn’t quite get things on track this season.

Then there’s QB coach Kerry Joseph and defensive coordinator Eric Washington, who are also packing their bags. Johnson seems to be wiping the slate clean, making it clear he’s ready to rebuild the Bears his way.