One of the milder surprises of the
Chicago Bears 2018 offseason was the return of cornerback Prince Amukamara. Having signed a one-year deal last season, it felt like he was using the Bears as a springboard to get one last strong long-term contract before he reached the age of 30. His 2017 wasn't pretty on the stat sheet but the tape revealed his strong presence in coverage.
His decision to re-sign on a three-year extension wasn't expected but it was a welcome relief. Along with the return of Kyle Fuller, it meant the Bears had stability in the secondary. The only thing left unanswered was why Amukamara chose to return. Reports indicated he'd told his agent that he wanted to stay in Chicago and there were no second options.
Speaking to the media for the first time this year, Amukamara opened up on his thoughts. First and foremost his decision to return started with Vic Fangio. Amukamara has been a big fan of the Bears defensive coordinator for years and thoroughly enjoyed playing for him last year.
However, Fangio wasn't the only reason. Amukamara reaffirmed another relationship he's grown excited about in the past year as to why he made sure to return.
Prince Amukamara is guzzling the Mitch Trubisky kool-aid
The thing about Amukamara is he's seen what great quarterbacks look like. He was on the New York Giants when Eli Manning was in his prime years winning Super Bowls. So he has a high standard for what the man at the position should look like. That's why his growing infatuation with Mitch Trubisky should be a welcome sign. The veteran corner cited the young QB as another key reason he wanted to return.
"I want to win a championship and I think having Mitch here, I think that's always the start. The quarterback's always the start and just having Mitch and seeing his improvement and his effort...I'm sure some people saw, but even when Mitch was the backup, Mitch was staying after practice and always working hard and you love seeing that in a quarterback, especially a backup. I've always just saw greatness in him ever since then. I think this year he gets to really show it."
This is a signal that Amukamara thinks big things are ahead for this Bears team and doesn't want to miss the ride. It's amazing to think Trubisky is already having this kind of psychological impact so soon into his NFL career. One can imagine what will happen when he starts winning more football games.
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