5 reasons the Chicago Bears were right to trade Khalil Mack

1. Trading Khalil Mack means the Chicago Bears have some cap flexibility

Prior to trading Mack, the Bears were set to have roughly $23 million in cap space for this offseason, which was 13th-most in the league. After the trade, the Bears now have closer to $30 million.

It doesn’t seem like much, initially, because of Mack being a premier player. The Bears are going to eat a lot of dead money this year, however that extra $6 million in 2022 is going to prove valuable. That money could easily go towards a starting cornerback or offensive lineman.

However, this move was all about 2023. Poles opened up a whole lot more cap space in 2023, and Bears fans should be excited to know that next year, the team is going to have over $120 million in cap room.

That is a huge number,  and will allow the Bears to sign Roquan Smith to a well-deserved contract extension. It will also open up plenty of room to potentially extend a guy like David Montgomery, should Poles opt to do the dangerous thing and pay a running back.

More importantly, it gives them flexibility to go after some premier, youthful and impactful free agents to build around Fields next year. Poles realized his team wasn’t going to compete this year, so he’s going all-in on being competitive in 2023.