Years after a blockbuster deal, the Bears sold laughably low on Khalil Mack

A disappointing outcome for a new era in Chicago.

Khalil Mack is a Raider. No, wait, scratch that. Khalil Mack is a Bear.

Ugh, I got it wrong again. (Spins wheel one more time.)

Khalil Mack is a Charger after the Bears traded him to Los Angeles on Thursday. Okay, we’re in the right place now. Let’s reset.

The NFL has always been a “What can you do for me lately?” league. You’re only as valuable to any team as you are in a given moment. What you’ve accomplished in the past means little if there’s not a lot of (perceived) tread left on the tires. From this respect, it’s not surprising the Bears’ Ryan Poles — a new GM with his own plan — traded a 31-year-old pass rusher. The days of Mack tearing apart quarterbacks and offensive game-plans, by himself anyway, are likely long gone. If you’re going to win with Justin Fields, you plan accordingly and offload people who probably won’t be around when (or if) you’re a contender once more.

What is surprising is the return the Bears received from the Chargers in exchange for Mack. It’s, how do I put this lightly, a little low for a player with some potential Pro Bowl/All-Pro ability left in his bones. Especially compared to what Chicago had to surrender to acquire Mack from the Raiders back in 2018.

A second and sixth-round pick while L.A. retains all of the salary (and Chicago still eats $24 million in dead cap space in 2022). Alright? Cool? I guess that’s fine?

Wait, so what did Las Vegas get when they traded Mack to the Bears again?

Raiders: 

  • 2019, 2020 first-round picks
  • A 2019 third-round pick and sixth-round pick

Bears:

  • Khalil Mack
  • A 2020 second-rounder (Cole Kmet)

I’m no mathematician, but the numbers don’t seem to add up. The Bears sold Mack’s services quite low. But, then again, I might have to wash my glasses.

To be fair to Poles, the Bears weren’t trading Mack from a position of strength. The former All-Pro edge rusher had surgery on his foot in November and has largely been playing hurt since the 2020 season. When the Raiders traded Mack, he was coming off his second First-Team All-Pro selection and had a reputation as a true game-breaker. Also, he was 27, not 31, which might as well be the difference between a millennial and a Baby Boomer in NFL years.

Even still, this is quite the step down in compensation for a new Bears regime. If this is what a potential championship contender like the Chargers offers Chicago for someone like Mack, I can’t imagine other proposed deals were much better. It’s more of an indictment of former GM Ryan Pace and, to a lesser extent, a bet on Mitchell Trubisky being The Guy. After all, if Trubisky worked out for the Bears, we’re probably not having this conversation about Mack being traded again in the first place.

Because you don’t trade Khalil Mack if you’re a contender. Not a chance. But you do if you’re the Raiders and Bears.

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