The Chicago Bears have gotten off to a terrific start this season. Outside of a monsoon-soaked loss to the Minnesota Vikings, they have won three games, all by double-digits. A big reason for that success has been the resurgence of their defense. After ranking among the league’s worst in most categories last season, they are now top 10 in both total yards and points allowed. A big part of that is the pass rush, which has 10 sacks through 4 games. Remember, they had 30 all of last season. Could they decide to look for even more help at the trade deadline in a few weeks? Khalil Mack probably hopes so.
The former All-Pro is off to a great start this season, collecting 3 sacks in the first month. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for his team. The Los Angeles Chargers are a complete dumpster fire, sitting at 0-4 after a crushing loss to Seattle on Sunday. It doesn’t get any easier the next two weeks with Denver and Kansas City up next. If this slide continues, there is a strong possibility they may sell at the trade deadline. According to former player Breiden Fehoko, there is a lot of unrest in that locker room.
It wouldn’t be shocking if Khalil Mack himself said that.
Keep in mind, there are only two full-time players on that Chargers roster who are 34 or older. Mack is one of them. It’s unlikely, 37-year-old long snapper Josh Harris said it. The only other possibility is safety Tony Jefferson. Either way, it’s pretty clear that guys aren’t happy with what’s going on over there. Mack has to feel like his decision to stay in Los Angeles was the wrong one. He was a free agent this past spring and could’ve signed elsewhere. Instead, he opted to gamble on the Chargers breaking through after back-to-back 11-6 seasons.
Now it seems as if head coach Jim Harbaugh is losing the locker room. It has to be an eerily familiar feeling for Khalil Mack. He watched Jack Del Rio fall apart in Oakland, and Matt Nagy do the same in Chicago. Is it happening with the Chargers, too? If so, he probably doesn’t want to stick around for the aftermath. His window to compete is almost closed. He would like to have one more chance to chase a Super Bowl. Could a return to the Bears be something he’d be interested in?
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Based on his comments in a recent interview, that is a big yes.
This is a smart acquisition.
Given his age, there is no way Mack would command more than a late-round pick at this stage of his career. Los Angeles would be happy to get anything for him, since he’s a free agent next year. The only hurdle for the Bears would be his contract. They are already tight in cap space, so it would take a couple of maneuvers to find room. Still, you can’t argue that a foursome of Montez Sweat, Austin Booker, Dayo Odeyingbo, and Mack wouldn’t be effective. After all, the first three have been pretty good already to start this season.
Everything should come into focus in around three weeks. That is when the real trade deadline conversations begin. Mack won’t be the big fish everybody else is hunting. So if the Bears want to swing a deal quickly and quietly, it shouldn’t be too difficult. If anything, he might prefer it happen sooner. Going from a 0-4 team to a 3-1 team probably sounds pretty good right about now.
