New Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles made a statement ahead of free agency trading star pass rusher Khalil Mack to the Los Angeles Chargers.
It’s a move that helps the Bears accumulate two draft selections — one additional pick in 2022 and in 2023 — and clears Mack’s massive cap hit of $30.15 million in 2022.
But it’s also the end of an era after former GM Ryan Pace traded two first-round selections for Mack back in 2018. While Mack had a dominant 2018 season, it was all downhill from there.
With a new regime in place with Poles running the show, he made a massive move to deal a defensive star for draft capital and help free up the salary cap ahead of what’s sure to be a busy free agency.
As you can imagine, the Mack trade sent Twitter into a frenzy. For the most part, Bears fans understood the importance of trading Mack, who’s on the wrong side of 30, to acquire valuable draft capital. But it’s the reported compensation of a 2022 second-round pick and 2023 sixth-round selection that has fans up in arms.
Here’s how Twitter is reacting to the Mack trade: