ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (WKBW) — Bills quarterback Mitchell Trubisky had lost his love for the game of football by the time he hit the market as a free agent.
"You could kind of see that [the Bears] were just continuously believing in me less and less," Trubisky said. "The game feels a lot more pure now than it did the last couple years. It feels a lot more fun and I'm getting that love for the game back."
That lack of faith was much more prevalent across the NFL than the North Carolina product had thought. Four years after being selected second overall by Chicago, Trubisky couldn't find anywhere that would even consider him a competitor for a starting job.
"Just not being the opportunity to even compete was just a process I had to go through," Trubisky said. "Once I figured out that I could come to a great place and continue to work on my skills still, and get better as a player, this was just the perfect spot for me."
His new home will pay a visit to his old home on Saturday. The Buffalo Bills are visiting the Chicago Bears for their second preseason game. For players who have gone from team to team, the chip on their shoulder for those types of games is inevitable.
"When you play for any team, going back, for me, Seattle, the Patriots, and stuff like that, i think that you get a little bit excited to go play them," tight end Jacob Hollister said. "Of course he wants to go out there and ball out in his home stadium."
Buffalo's entire August slate is a familiar one. Trubisky threw 1-of-2 for 10 yards against the Lions last weekend. After his homecoming to Chicago, the Bills host another NFC North opponent in the Green Bay Packers next Saturday.
"He's obviously got a lot of experience. I mean, he's started 50 plus games in the league," quarterback Josh Allen said. "Having that knowledge of those d coordinator and being able to pass along those tidbits of information, it's been very useful."
With Josh Allen being kept on the sidelines, Trubisky will get the start against his former team. There isn't a defense in the entire NFL he knows better than the Bears' unit.
"It'll be weird going back there," Trubisky said. "But I'm looking forward to it."
