People Who Wouldn't Consider Trading Khalil Mack This Offseason Are INSANE
So I made a little tongue-in-cheek tweet about how the Bears should trade Khalil Mack for not giving away Halloween candy. He full out hired a bouncer to kick little kids out of Club Dub on his front porch. It’s a weird and shitty thing to do, but if I am being honest he could pepper spray 2nd graders coming to his door if the Bears were 6-2 and I wouldn’t care. They’re not though so I would be open to trading Khalil Mack for the right price. Not because of candy, but because of football. People did NOT like that on twitter
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It’s not an over-reaction. It’s not a meatball take. It’s a rational thought in the face of reality. It’s hard for me to imagine a scenario where the ship gets turned around quickly. Not with this group as it’s currently constituted. If you really thought that the Bears were only a competent QB away from being a contender then maybe you give it one more year and you go for Foles/Newton/Bridgewater/Jameis/Mariotta in the offseason. I think that is a LONG shot and I don’t think any of those guys are fixing the offense. They’ve got more problems than just Mitch because Nagy is an issue too. So is the offensive line. So is Tight End. So is linebacker. And so is the salary cap.
As it stands right now the Bears have $203M committed to just 36 signed players. This year the Bears are paying $168M to the full roster of 59. I am sure there is a way to finagle and massage the cap. Cut some guys, restructure other deals, but the Bears are going to at minimum need to clear money to re-sign or sign replacements for Trevathan and Clinton-Dix in addition to bringing some journeyman “savior” quarterback. Oh and then Eddie Jackson and Leonard Floyd will be in need of new deals because 2020 is the last year of their rookie deals as well. The Bears went for it when they traded for Khalil Mack. They knew they had a window with a ton of key players on rookie deals and a QB on a rookie deal as well. It’s the Seattle Legion of Boom with Russell Wilson model. The Bears got the wrong QB so the model doesn’t work so now they’re staring a harsh reality right in the face.
It’d be one thing if the Bears had draft picks to restock the shelves with cap casualties coming…they don’t. In 2020 the Bears have a 2nd, a 5th, a 6th, and a 7th. Odds are that they’ll get one competent roster player from that draft.
Which brings us all the way back to Khalil Mack. If you’re not competing for a Super Bowl then what are you even doing? Trying to go 8-8? No thanks. I’d rather rebuild and try again. And since that is the only path and I have to choose between Khalil Mack and younger guys like Floyd and Jackson, in theory, then I am going with the guys who aren’t the highest paid players in the NFL and turning 29 in February. I LOVE Khalil Mack. I wish things didn’t play out the way they did. I am glad Pace traded for him and went for it. Wouldn’t change that at all. It just didn’t work out in this window because Pace drafted the wrong QB and it looks like he hired the wrong coach too. Pace loaded the bases and struck out swinging. Athletes don’t get better after 30, but Mack will keep getting paid more and more. If the Bears can find a taker who will give them some draft capital and financial flexibility then sadly the ONLY move would be trade Khalil Mack to a team this spring who can better use his services. If you can’t see that then I don’t know what to tell you.