Facts are facts. The Chicago Bears Khalil Mack trade was a blockbuster of blockbusters. Getting a 27-year old Pro Bowler in his prime is expensive, especially if he’s a pass rusher. The Bears learned this nine years ago when they made their move for Jay Cutler. They knew they were mortgaging the future for a chance to be a contender now.
Their reasoning behind it was perfectly logical. Mitch Trubisky is in the midst of his rookie contract. If he pans out as hoped, his extension in a few years will be massive. That means the Bears have a limited window to be aggressive in acquiring high-end talent at other positions. This Mack moves is the perfect example.
The Bears will have their first round picks again by the time Trubisky’s contract negotiation begins, so the timing is right. All that remains is to see what the damage is, wince ever so slightly and then get excited about the prospect of putting a 10-sack-a-year pass rusher on a defense that was already top 10 the year before.
Trade official, source tells ESPN:
Bears get: Khalil Mack, a 2020 second-round round pick and a conditional 2020 fifth-round pick.
Raiders get: 2019 first-round pick, 2020 first-round pick, 2020 third-round pick, 2019 sixth-round pick.
So Bears get back second-round pick, too
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 1, 2018
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For the Bears to get back a second round pick in that deal is staggering and another sign that GM Ryan Pace is a supreme negotiator.
Barring injury, the Bears Khalil Mack trade can benefit for a long time
The good news to start is that Mack has a proven history of health. He’s never missed a game in his NFL career. This means he understands how to take care of himself and avoid injury. What Bears fans undoubtedly want to know is just how long this trade can benefit them. The thing is age doesn’t affect great pass rushers as much as some people might think.
Sure a loss of speed hurts other positions, but pass rushing is not all about speed. It’s about power, leverage, and technique. Those things can last a long, long time in pro football. Don’t believe it? I looked at the top seven sack artists in history and charted at what age they had their last double-digit sack season. The results were shocking.
Bruce Smith – 37
Reggie White – 37
Kevin Greene – 37
Julius Peppers – 37
Chris Doleman – 37
Michael Strahan – 34
Jason Taylor – 33#Bears https://t.co/EVAcrJfxiM— Erik Lambert (@ErikLambert1) September 1, 2018
Put simply the Bears could be looking at a minimum of six more seasons of high-end play from Mack and perhaps more if he can keep himself relatively healthy. The fact they got multiple draft picks back in the deal makes it even better. This could end up being a landmark moment for the franchise. Something that gets them back to the top of the NFL.
