Getty Khalil Mack of the Chicago Bears has made his preference for the team's next GM known.
Khalil Mack has made his preference known.
The All-Pro linebacker for the Chicago Bears has remained mum as his team continues its search for a new general manager and head coach, but he took to Twitter to endorse a candidate the Bears interviewed for GM.
Champ Kelly is currently assistant director of player personnel for the Bears, a role he has held since 2017. So far, in what has been a relatively exhaustive search, Kelly has been the only internal candidate to score an interview for Chicago’s general manager position.
He has also been the only one to get a ringing endorsement from Mack, who tweeted this on January 13:
@ChicagoBears @dunkindonuts Champppppppp!
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Kelly Has Been in Chicago During Mack’s Entire Tenure With Bears
Kelly joined the Bears in 2015 as director of pro scouting after working as a scout and assistant director of pro personnel for the Denver Broncos. He is popular with players, coaches and media alike, and he has clearly left an impression on Mack, who arrived in 2018 via trade.
Kelly revealed a bit about his role in the team’s scouting department last summer during Chicago’s coaching summit.
“Most teams, rightfully so, are committed to building through the draft,” Kelly said in June 2021, via the Bears’ official website. “But pro scouting roles are not diminished. We are kind of the catch-all of the scouting department. We are in the building every day and we form significant relationships with the coaches, with other scouts, with the trainers and everyone else in the building. We’re there strictly to complement the process. Oftentimes, pro scouts are the first line to really understanding the type of player that the coaches want.”
Former Bears and Broncos head coach John Fox, who worked with Kelly in Chicago and Denver, said this about the GM candidate in 2020, per Dan Pompei of The Athletic:
“This business is about relationships. Champ has a genuine empathy for people and particularly players. Countless times, with a discipline thing or whatever (else), he gave you a different perspective in your evaluation of what you should do. He always was a very calming force in that regard.”
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Bears Will Continue Search as Mack Recovers From Foot Injury
Mack finished his 2021 campaign with six sacks, 19 tackles, seven QB hits, a fumble recovery and 22 QB pressures in seven games. He was on pace to get double-digit sacks for the second time since joining the Bears in 2018, but a season-ending foot injury sidelined him in November. Mack has since had surgery on his foot, intending to be ready to go again by the time the 2022 regular season begins.
In the meantime, Chicago will continue what has been a comprehensive head coach and GM search to say the least. The Bears have interviewed or asked to interview 15 candidates (and counting) for general manager and 10 for head coach. How Kelly fares in a crowded field remains to be seen, but we know at least one superstar pass rusher who is in his corner.
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