Trade Confirm: Bears Has Just Complete Their 35.5 Million Deal From Los Angeles Chargers….
halil Mack spent four memorable seasons with the Chicago Bears, from 2018 until 2021. He was named an All-Pro twice and made the Pro Bowl three times in his tenure in the Windy City.
Mack was traded to the Los Angeles Chargers in 2022, shortly after Bears general manager Ryan Poles took over the job. One analyst thinks Poles might be willing to bring Mack back for at least one more year.
The 33rd Team’s Dan Pizzuta put together a list of “trade ideas for teams that struggled in 2023 and could use a boost.” He cites Chicago’s need for another edge rusher coupled with Los Angeles’s need for cap space as reasons this trade could be possible.
“The Bears have cap space and could use another pass rusher to pair with Montez Sweat. Chicago showed it has no problem making aggressive trades when it acquired Sweat at the deadline,” Pizzuta wrote, adding:
“Mack shouldn’t cost more than a Day 3 pick due to his age (33) and one year remaining on his contract. Chicago would take on his $17.55 million salary for 2024 and potentially the roster bonus.”
Mack is in the final year of the six-year, $141 million contract he signed with Chicago when he came to town in 2018. Pizzuta believes the Bears could still address their pass rushing needs via the draft while also adding Mack.
“Chicago doesn’t have much edge depth outside of Sweat, and Mack’s addition would not force them to forgo drafting a pass rusher,” he wrote. “That’s crucial since that value comes more in the Day 2 range rather than the top-10 picks the Bears own.”
There have also also been whisperings of teams being interested in trading for Mack. In February, ESPN insider Jeremy Fowler reported that “multiple teams I’ve spoken to have an eye on” Mack as a trade possibility (h/t Bleacher Report). With new Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh now taking the reins in L.A., Mack’s future in Los Angeles remains a question mark.
Would Poles really be willing to spend draft picks on a player he traded not long ago? That’s extremely unlikely, as it’s just not something the Bears GM has shown a capacity for.
The quarterback carousel is already on the move ahead of the start of NFL Free Agency next week, with every rumor and move also having a connection to the Chicago Bears’ ability to trade Justin Fields.
It would seem that before the Bears will be able to trade Fields, there will be clarity needed on the impending free agency of Kirk Cousins.
Two of the teams linked to Cousins have also been mentioned as a potential suitor for Fields. Cousins’ current team, the Minnesota Vikings, entered the the off-season with a likelihood of the veteran quarterback returning for the 2024 season but that may no longer be the case.
Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reported on Monday evening that Cousins may be eyeing a move to Atlanta. Of course, Cousins moving his family to Atlanta would be a clear sign that he is on the verge of signing with the Atlanta Falcons.
The latest Kirk Cousins rumor would have major effect on the Chicago Bears’ off-season.
Cousins signing with Falcons would represent a major shift in the NFC North.
For one, the Vikings would be in need of a new starting quarterback. Recent reports have listed the Vikings among teams interested in a potential trade for Fields and the path to such a deal would clear with Cousins now longer a part of the picture.
Cousins signing with the Falcons would also remove the presumptive favorite in a Fields’ trade from being a part of the mix The Falcons have been heavily linked to Fields for much of the past month but it’s become clear that Cousins is their priority.
Elsewhere, the Denver Broncos released Russell Wilson on Monday. Wilson’s release becomes effective after the start of the new league year next week and could hinder the Bears’ ability to trade Fields. With the Broncos still on the hook for Wilson’s 2024 salary, any interested team could sign the veteran for the league minimum as opposed to trading draft capital for Fields.
