It looks like Raiders All-Pro edge rusher Khalil Mack is being traded to the Chicago Bears.
It’s actually 2 first-rounders plus for Mack. https://t.co/gOutZd2tOD
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 1, 2018
Yesterday, Aaron Donald signed a record-setting contract at $22.5M per year with nearly $87M guaranteed. We can be sure that the Bears are about to give Mack something very similar, and likely slightly more rich, than what the Rams paid to Mack. After trading two first round picks plus something else (we should hear soon), Chicago is not going to fight with Mack over a few million dollars.
What are the Bears getting in Mack?
| Games | Def Interceptions | Fumbles | Sacks & Tackles | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Age | Tm | Pos | No. | G | GS | Int | Yds | TD | Lng | PD | FF | Fmb | FR | Yds | TD | Sk | Tkl | Ast | Sfty | AV |
| 2014 | 23 | OAK | LB | 52 | 16 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4.0 | 59 | 16 | 7 | |
| 2015*+ | 24 | OAK | DE/lb | 52 | 16 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15.0 | 57 | 20 | 14 | |
| 2016*+ | 25 | OAK | DE | 52 | 16 | 16 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 6 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 11.0 | 54 | 19 | 16 | |
| 2017* | 26 | OAK | DE | 52 | 16 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 10.5 | 61 | 17 | 11 | |
| Career | 64 | 64 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 6 | 11 | 9 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 40.5 | 231 | 72 | 48 | |||||
Mack is a terror, one of the five or ten best defensive players in the NFL; he was the AP Defensive Player of the Year in 2016, winning the award with 18 of 50 votes.
On the Raiders side, this is a dark day. The trade itself may not be too bad (more on that in a minute), but Oakland never should have let things get this far. Mack was the player the team should have always built around, but instead, the Raiders let the contract dispute turn nasty.
On the other hand, this may not be as great as it seems for the Bears. By paying Mack $23M per year, it’s going to be hard for Mack to really outperform his contract — and that’s before getting to the fact that the Bears gave up two first round picks (and some more). With Mitch Trubisky under center with cap hits of $6.6M this year, $7.9M in 2019, and $9.2M in 2020, the Bears can afford to pay Mack the market rate. But if Trubisky doesn’t pan out, the Bears are going to be hamstrung with no first round picks and limited cap space to find another quarterback.
If Trubisky turns into a star, though, Mack could be the missing link to give the Bears the dominant defense the team could ride to a Super Bowl. It’s a hefty price to pay, and Ezekiel Ansah and Demarcus Lawrence are both playing on the franchise tag this season, making them potentially available on the open market next year unless the Lions and Cowboys franchise both players for a second year in a row. They will each be expected to sign Mack-like contracts, but could come without the cost of two first round picks.
The Bears were overly aggressive in trading up to grab Trubisky, sending the 67th pick (which turned into AP OROY Alvin Kamara), the 111th pick, and a 2018 3rd round pick to move up one spot to grab Trubisky, who was unlikely to be taken second overall. Chicago is once again making a very aggressive move, trading two first round picks plus a little bit extra to sign Mack to the largest contract ever given to a defensive player.
What do you think?