Getty Khalil Mack has been the subject of trade rumors at the scouting combine.
The Khalil Mack trade rumors are heating up again, and this time, they’re attached to a credible source.
In his March 4 Q&A column for the Chicago Tribune, Chicago Bears insider Brad Biggs shared some revealing information he received during the week of the NFL scouting combine.
According to Biggs, there has been buzz around the combine about whether the Bears may be willing to part ways with the All-Pro pass rusher in exchange for some much-needed draft capital. The Bears have just five picks in the 2022 draft, and new general manager Ryan Poles and head coach Matt Eberflus have no attachments to anyone currently under contract for the upcoming season.
“If the Bears aren’t certain how long it will take to be in contention again, the time to deal Mack is now.,” Biggs wrote. “They’re installing a new defense and if there are going to be some growing pains in the process, why not see what you can get for a player near the top of the pay grade at his position that has been banged up the last two seasons?”
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Biggs: AFC Exec Thinks Possible Mack Trade Could Mirror That of Von Miller
The Los Angeles Rams sent second-and third-round picks to the Denver Broncos prior to the trade deadline in November of 2021 in exchange for veteran linebacker Von Miller. The Rams went on to win the Super Bowl with an assist from Miller on ‘D,’ and Denver added two picks to its draft arsenal — it was a win-win for both teams. One AFC exec told Biggs the Bears could use the Miller trade as a jumping-off point of sorts to start negotiations:
What would the market be for Mack? A second-rounder with another late-round pick the teams could haggle over was what an NFC executive suggested at the end of the season. An AFC executive suggested using the Von Miller trade as a template. The Denver Broncos traded Miller to the Los Angeles Rams for second-and third-round picks in 2022. The Broncos also paid down Miller’s contract to make the deal happen, absorbing $9 million of the remaining $9.7 million of his 2021 salary to facilitate the trade.
The Bears currently have picks in Round 2 (No. 39 overall), Round 3 (No. 71 overall), Round 5 (No. 147 and No. 149 overall) and Round 6 (No. 184 overall). Adding an additional pick in the second and third rounds would give the team four selections in the top 100 of a loaded draft class. That’s certainly something to consider.
Mack’s Health Will Be Significant Question
GettyKhalil Mack is coming off season-ending foot surgery.
In his prime, Mack was one of the best defenders in the NFL, but he’s coming off season-ending foot surgery that forced him to miss 10 games last year. Before getting traded to Chicago in 2018, Mack hadn’t missed a game in four seasons with the Raiders. In the four years he has been in the Windy City, Mack has missed 12 games.
Considering he’s not getting any younger, it couldn’t hurt to gauge his value on the market.
It’s fair also to wonder if the 31-year-old Mack may want to move on to a contender after only seeing the playoffs twice in his career and losing both times.
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Money Also Matters
Money will also be a factor, of course. Biggs notes that if the Bears would be willing to take care of Mack’s bonus the way the Broncos paid Miller’s, a trade is certainly possible.
“The AFC executive said if the Bears paid the bonus so an acquiring team was on the hook for only the base salary, it could potentially make dealing Mack easier and put the Bears in a situation in which they could get a return similar to what the Broncos received. Perhaps Mack could bring a little more,” Biggs added.
In 2022, Mack is due a base salary of just over $12 million, a signing bonus of $6.8 million and he has a cap hit over $30.1 million in addition to a dead cap hit of $24 million, per Spotrac.
Would there be another team willing to take on Mack’s hefty contract while also giving Chicago valuable draft picks? It’s unlikely, but Biggs noted the chatter around a Mack trade has gotten louder in recent weeks. It’s certainly possible, and if Mack is set to be healthy when the regular season begins, contending teams in need of a pass rusher could certainly be interested.
Mack had 6.0 sacks in the seven games he played in last season, so he still has plenty of juice. Whether any squad wants to take on his contract may be the biggest hurdle, but again, anything is possible.