Khalil Mack Trade Means Rebuild, Likely Change in Asset Destination in Chicago – Chicago Bears Blog

Ryan Poles wasn’t shy when he addressed the lack of available draft capital and the five picks the Chicago Bears’ new general manager inherited to build the roster.

“Obviously you want a lot of picks. But that’s just the hand we’ve been dealt,” Poles said at the recent NFL scouting meeting. “We’ll be open-minded about how we can create more choice. And we’ll be smart about it.”

The Poles had a joker to improve this hand, and he played it on Thursday. The GM’s first major move to Chicago came in the form of trading six-time Pro Bowler Khalil Mack to the Los Angeles Chargers in exchange for a second-round pick in 2022 and a sixth-round selection in 2023, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The Chargers will also assume Mack’s entire contract, according to Schefter, who has three years left and payments of $17.75 million in 2022, $22.9 million in 23 and $23.25 million in 24. .

That’s what happens when a new regime takes over a team that hasn’t lived up to expectations.

On the eve of the 2018 season, Chicago sent two first-round picks, a third-round pick, and a sixth-round pick to the Raiders in exchange for Mack. Shortly after the trade, the Bears made him the highest-paid defenseman in NFL history.

The Bears made the playoffs in 2018 when a dominating defense — led by Mack — fueled a 12-4 regular season, but they lost at home to the Philadelphia Eagles in the wildcard round. They did it again two years later, but neither trip resulted in a victory. The Bears presented an elite defense with no offense to match.

Mack, who has been slowed by multiple injuries, made the Pro Bowl in 2019 and 20 but didn’t play until his dominance of 2018, when he had 12.5 sacks, or 2016, when he won the Defensive Player of the Year honors.

The 31-year-old defenseman still has traits that will impact the Chargers, but the size of Mack’s contract and a foot injury that limited him to seven games in 2021 were the catalysts for the Bears decision to move on.

And now, after a 6-11 season in 2021, the Bears’ new management has entered rebuilding territory by offloading a player at the end of his career.

Some might criticize Chicago for giving up Mack in exchange for just two draft picks, given his quality, but the Bears’ return received points for how well Mack is valued by other franchises. Chicago had north of $27 million of available ceiling space before dealing with Mack. It’s not like the Bears need to remedy their ceiling situation by taking a discount on what they could get in exchange for Mack.

The 2022 version of Chicago’s defense won’t look like the 2018 version. The building blocks are different, focused on younger players like linebacker Roquan-Smith and cornerback Jaylon Johnson. Instead of holding out hope that Mack will return to form as Matt Eberflus changes Chicago’s pattern from a 3-4 base defense to a 4-3 base defense, the Bears have erased future financial commitments from the books and began to introduce a change – one that now focuses on rebuilding around the quarterback Justin Fieldswhich they hope will one day be championship-caliber.

What happened Thursday means rebuilding in Chicago. No matter how the team tries to sell its goals for the 2022 season, the Bears are stepping back this year to be in a position to challenge for the playoffs, possibly as soon as 2023. And that might just be the first step. by a lot, as 25 players are in line to hit free agency next week.

Trading Mack cleared $6 million in cap space and gave Chicago another draft pick for April. But even with a projected salary cap of $32 million, the Bears have a ton of holes to fill. And according to Pole, not having as much draft capital as he wants to build a team will shift the Bears’ focus to how they can maximize the second and third waves of free agency.

Expect Chicago to waive expensive free agents like amari cooper to fill a major receiver void and instead opt for cheaper options with players willing to sign veteran minimum deals or two-year contracts worth up to $6 million. And then of course there’s always the repechage, which seems to be how the Poles want to build this team in the years to come.

The Poles pulled off a long-range game by deciding to cut the bait on an expensive veteran who doesn’t fit the team’s changing identity. While the Bears still have a star pass-rusher Robert Quinn under contract, stepping back now and playing the long play focused on building around Fields instead of defense might be what the Bears need to get back to respectability sooner rather than later.