Chicago Bears: 5 biggest impacts of Khalil Mack deal
“Win now” window is open
A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about a few reasons why the Bears absolutely had to trade for Mack. The first of those reasons was to optimize their competitive window. Parity has been a staple in the league for years, meaning a team’s fortunes can change from year to year. Because of that, we have seen a rash of teams going from worst to first in their division.
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Rebuilds in football do not take nearly as long as they do in other sports. Therefore, when a team feels they are on the cusp of being competitive, one or two moves could push them over the top. That’s exactly what this Mack deal does for the Bears.
Ryan Pace completely overhauled this roster in the offseason. Not only did the roster get significantly better, but it also got significantly younger. They have a considerable number of players at or entering the prime years of their careers.
With a hard salary cap like the NFL has, teams, have to strike while the iron is hot so to speak. Consequently, this deal didn’t just happen on Friday night. It happened as a result of a number of moves Pace has made up to this point shedding salary and having cost certainty in a number of rookie deals — primarily to their skill position players.
Mitch Trubisky is under his rookie deal of 4 years/$29 million, with a fifth-year option where he will make virtually peanuts. Jordan Howard still has two years remaining on his rookie deal where he will make a total of less than $2 million over that time, and Anthony Miller just signed his four-year deal which will pay him just over $5 million in total. That’s very little money locked up in three of your most important players.
This is what allowed Pace the financial flexibility to make a move for Mack like he did. And he likely did it because he knows that the Bears’ best chance to win comes over the next 3-4 years when they can add invaluable but costly pieces like Mack to a roster comprised of players on very cost-friendly deals. The move should also tell you that Pace has complete confidence in Mitch Trubisky‘s ability to take the next step in his progression this season.