The Chicago Bears have among the more legitimate of Super Bowl aspirations league-wide heading into Week 9, but the franchise will have to pursue its first title in more than 40 years without pass-rusher Khalil Mack.
Adam Schefter and Ian Rapoport of ESPN reported on Saturday, November 7 that the Los Angeles Chargers have firmly slammed the door on any Mack deal, even despite an NFL-worst record of 0-7 and a game against the Houston Texans on Sunday in which the Chargers are underdogs yet again.
“The veteran pass rusher will not be going anywhere before Tuesday’s deadline, according to sources,” they wrote, later quoting head coach Jim Harbaugh who reiterated that the feeling is mutual between the Chargers and Mack about sticking out the season together in Southern California.
Eagles CB Riq Woolen Logical Pivot for Bears With Khalil Mack Trade Off Table
Regarding the question of where the Bears go from here, the answer is probably just to the cornerback market to land a potential starter on the outside.
Jaylon Johnson and Tyrique Stevenson have been among the very worst performing CBs in the league through eight games, while rookie Malik Muhammad missed last week’s contest with a toe injury and could miss more time moving forward. The team listed Muhammad as questionable for Sunday’s game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after he was limited in practice all week.
The name at the top of the Bears’ wishlist in the secondary appears to be Riq Woolen, currently playing for the Philadelphia Eagles on a one-year deal worth $12 million. However, there is competition for Woolen from within Chicago’s own division.
“Bears might not be done adding to their defense,” Thomas R. Petersen reported Thursday. “They are reportedly in deep competition with Lions to acquire Riq Woolen from the Eagles.”
Philadelphia hasn’t sold off any players yet, but at 2-6 and with QB Jalen Hurts done for the season, the Eagles could move several talents on expiring deals before next Tuesday’s trade deadline.
Bears’ Draft Assets Dictate That Team May Need to Decide Between Deal for CB or Pass-Rusher
As far as adding Woolen and another pass-rusher, that starts to get tricky for Chicago.
The Bears flipped two first-rounders (2027, 2028) as well as a fourth-rounder next spring to Tennessee for Simmons and a 2028 fifth-rounder. That leaves Chicago’s cupboard of mid-round draft assets next year a little bare.
The franchise has its own second- and third-round selections, but those are likely untouchable at this point. After the Titans deal, the Bears do have one fifth-round selection in 2027 by way of the Atlanta Falcons. That could prove a reasonable value for a player like Mack, except that he isn’t available.
More likely, that asset is what the Bears will need to spend on Woolen. And given the competition for him, they may need to toss in a sixth or a seventh in 2027 or 2028.
So the only way Chicago can double-down on both the edge and the secondary is to find a team willing to move on from a pass-rusher for a 2028 mid-round pick. The Bears hold one fourth and two fifths in 2028, per Spotrac.
Bears Get Final Answer on Khalil Mack Trade