Khalil Mack and the Chicago Bears are entering a new era as they began the house cleaning process right after the 2021 season. They fired general manager Ryan Pace and head coach Matt Nagy, providing a clean slate for whoever takes over the job next.
This likely isn’t the most attractive of the jobs that are open this offseason. The Bears roster is near the bottom when it comes to overall quality in the league. Selling that to prospective general managers, especially since their first-round pick this year is being sent to the New York Giants courtesy of trading up for Justin Fields in the 2021 NFL Draft.
Fields could be a draw for candidates, but there is certainly a lot of work that needs to be done with the roster. Improving the offensive line is imperative for Fields to succeed, as he already has a great running back in place in David Montgomery to take pressure off of him.
Upgrading the weapons, in general, should be atop the Bears’ to-do list. Darnell Mooney is the only reliable receiver Chicago has on the roster as it is highly unlikely Allen Robinson returns. Cole Kmet is a high-upside player at tight end though to help bolster the offense.
Filling all of those holes in one offseason will be difficult, but the team can take some steps to achieve it this offseason. They have a ton of cap space which will help. To create even more assets, could they consider moving on from veteran pass rusher Khalil Mack?
Jeremy Fowler of ESPN certainly believes that is a possibility. He believes trading Mack may be what is best for the organization this offseason.
“It’s also probably time to gauge edge rusher Khalil Mack’s trade value. 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.”
For a team in a bit of a rebuild, Fowler is right that it would make a lot of sense to shop Mack and gauge his value. He is still an excellent pass rusher, but there is only so much that will help a team that has so many needs on both sides of the ball.
Khalil Mack won’t come close to returning the same draft haul that the Bears used to acquire him, but getting something is better than nothing. Canvasing the league for a trade is a better outcome than outright releasing him to save some money.
Even if they can only get a few late-round picks, that could provide value for a young team that is virtually starting from the ground up with a new front office, coaching staff and second-year quarterback.
