NFL teams
Jeff Dickerson, ESPN Staff Writer 7y

Mike Glennon says Bears his team this year, despite Mitch Trubisky

NFL, Chicago Bears

LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- Bears quarterback Mike Glennon acknowledged on Tuesday that Chicago's decision to draft Mitchell Trubisky caught him off guard, but he said he's been assured he'll get the starting job for the upcoming season.

"I think just like everyone here, I was surprised [the Bears took Trubisky second overall]," Glennon said after the Bears' OTA practice.

"That's the bottom line. But it was made clear to me about 10 minutes after, from a call from [general manager] Ryan [Pace], and the next morning again, the 2017 season is my year. That's all I can worry about. I'm not worried about the future. I'm not worried about the past. I'm worried about the present, and right now this is my team, and that's where my focus is."

Glennon, 27, started 18 games for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 2013 to '14 but spent the past two years as Jameis Winston's primary backup. Glennon's lack of recent starting experience did not deter the Bears from going all-in on the 6-foot-6 quarterback in free agency. Chicago signed Glennon to a three-year deal worth $16 million guaranteed in 2017.

At no point prior to the draft did Pace hint to Glennon that the Bears were serious about taking a quarterback with their first-round pick. Glennon, though, said he has no regrets about choosing Chicago over other options in free agency.

"There's absolutely no reason to go hindsight," Glennon said. "But even if I were to, I would still have come here. Like I said, this is my year. There are no guarantees in the NFL. The majority of guys in the NFL are playing year-to-year. I'm here to prove myself that I can be the quarterback this year and going forward. But right now my focus is on winning games this year."

Bears coach John Fox said he's pleased with how Glennon -- despite the unusual circumstances -- is asserting himself on offense.

"Really from day one when we signed him, that was the approach," Fox said. "That was the approach we took as an organization and the same with him as far as getting to know his teammates, maybe not in a practice element but as far as just communication. He's that kind of guy, had the same reputation while he was in Tampa and same thing even at NC State as a college athlete. He's kind of grabbed the bull by the horns, and I don't expect it to change."

As far as any animosity toward Trubisky, Glennon says none exists. The two quarterbacks, along with Mark Sanchez and Connor Shaw, took reps at the Bears' OTA workout on Tuesday.

"He seems like a great kid," Glennon said. "Obviously we haven't spent a whole lot of time together -- the rookies have to do some separate things on the side, and he had to go out of town this past weekend. But he seems like a great kid, eager to learn, and I think we'll have a great relationship."

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