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Khalil Mack turns 31 in February of 2022, and he’ll be coming off a season-ending foot injury.
The superstar linebacker for the Chicago Bears last played Week 7, missing 10 total games of the 2021 season. He had never missed more than three games in any of his previous seven seasons, and had made six Pro Bowls in a row — but some of the league’s top insiders are wondering whether the Bears will attempt to trade the All-Pro pass rusher in order to free up some much-needed cap space.
Mack’s $30+ million cap hit is the largest one on the team and accounts for over 14% of Chicago’s entire salary cap in 2022, according to Spotrac. The Bears have only 26 players under contract for the upcoming season and around $40 million to fill a concerning amount of holes.
In his Jan. 17 column for ESPN, insider Jeremy Fowler made a strong case for why it may be worthwhile for Chicago to shop the All-Pro linebacker this offseason.
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More Money Could Buy Justin Fields More Weapons
“Evaluators say the Bears’ roster might be among the league’s worst,” Fowler revealed, before noting ways Chicago needs to seriously upgrade:
“David Montgomery is the perfect running back to lessen the burden on a young quarterback, yet he is averaging 3.8 yards per carry because the offensive line isn’t good enough. Chicago has to upgrade up front to give Montgomery space. Additionally, quarterback Justin Fields needs at least three vertical threats, and for 2022, he has one reliable option at wide receiver: Darnell Mooney. Acquiring weapons on the outside should be a priority.”
Considering Chicago’s needs on both sides of the ball, Mack’s age and injury status and a new regime also coming in, Fowler thinks it’s time for the Bears to test the market where Mack is concerned:
“It’s also probably time to gauge edge rusher Khalil Mack’s trade value,” Fowler added. “He missed 10 games this season, he will turn 31 in February and he has a $30.15 million cap hit. That’s the injury-age-contract trifecta for a potential release or trade, no matter how good he might still be. The Bears could use those resources on younger players along the defensive line and secondary.”
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Mack Could Garner a Good Deal of Interest on Trade Block
Before going down with the foot injury, Mack was among the league’s top pass rushers, netting six sacks, 16 hurries, 19 tackles, and 22 QB pressures in his seven games. He has 76.5 total sacks over his career (36 as a Bear and 40.5 as a Raider), and there will likely be enough teams in need of quality pass rushers who may be willing to take on Mack’s contract.
With linebacker Robert Quinn just setting a new team record with 18.5 sacks — many of which he got with Mack out of the lineup — the Bears will still have a dominant pass rusher aboard.
Another thing to consider is the emergence of linebacker Trevis Gipson, who finished his 2021 campaign with seven sacks, seven QB hits and 39 tackles (seven for loss) in nine starts. With Quinn and Gipson on board, the Bears could still have a solid duo of pass rushers next season. Trying to shop Mack would be a big move, but it could pay off in a big way if Chicago plays its cards right. Stay tuned.
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