CHICAGO — The Chicago Bears went all-in pursuing a Super Bowl championship when they traded for Khalil Mack four years ago. Now, in the first big move by new general manager Ryan Poles, they are shipping out the edge rusher in the hopes of laying a foundation for the future.
The Bears have agreed to trade Mack, a six-time Pro Bowl selection, to the Los Angeles Chargers in exchange for a second-round draft pick this year and a sixth-rounder in 2023. The deal is contingent on Mack, who underwent foot surgery after he was placed in injured reserve last season, passing a physical.
Poles has mentioned multiple times the Bears are short on draft picks as they pay off the remainder of the trade with the New York Giants to move up and draft quarterback Justin Fields last year. He called it the “hand we were dealt” last week at the scouting combine in Indianapolis, where multiple sources hinted the Bears could be looking to move one of the few assets on the roster that could bring a quality return.
Adding the Chargers’ second-round pick (No. 48 overall) gives the Bears three picks in the top 100 of what is considered a deep draft. It’s not good for quarterbacks and there are more questions than answers for the how the top 10 will shake out, but plenty of good prospects will be available on Day 2 (Rounds 2 and 3) and entering Day 3. The other Bears picks in the top 100 are at No. 39 in Round 2 and No. 71 in Round 3.
Mack, 31, had six sacks through seven games last year before the Bears rested him with the foot injury. When the situation didn’t improve, he was shut down for the season. Although he played in all 16 games in 2020, he battled a variety of injuries that limited him to nine sacks.
Now, Mack will be paired with Joey Bosa playing for Chargers coach Brandon Staley, who was the Bears’ outside linebackers coach in 2018. The Bears still have Robert Quinn, who is coming off an 18 1/2-sack season, and this could potentially create a larger role for Trevis Gipson, who had seven sacks last year in his second season.
The trade, which cannot become official until the first day of the new league year March 16, saddles the Bears with $24 million in dead cap space for this season. He would have counted for more than $30 million against the cap if he was on the roster.
