Oakland Raiders stud pass-rusher Khalil Mack popped up on the trade rumor mill in early August and the whispers really haven’t silenced in the time that has since passed.
Mack wants a big-money extension, one that is deserved as he enters his prime riding the wave of three straight seasons with 10+ sacks. The Raiders don’t seem to be itching to get a long-term deal done, so Mack has stayed away from training camp and didn’t play in the team’s preseason opener. This unstable situation should have every team (yes, including the Chicago Bears) looking to make a push to acquire Mack. But at what cost?
Well, I’m glad you asked, because we’re a little bit closer to having an answer. And the Bears figure into some of that guesswork.
Over at CBS Sports, Joel Corry reached out to former NFL executive Joe Banner in an attempt to figure out what the cost of business would be. Banner served as the Philadelphia Eagles’ President from 1995-2012, Cleveland Browns’ CEO (2012-13), and as a consultant for the Atlanta Falcons (2014-15), so he probably has some worthwhile insight on what could make a deal happen.
“I think the range is a 1, 3 and 7 on the low end to two 1s on the high end. A lot also depends on how high the 1 is. Maybe it’s a 1 and 2 if it’s fairly high, or two 1s if it’s lower,” Banner told Corry. “Maybe a team would be smart to include a 1 with a quality player. Or a 1, a middle pick and a quality player. He (Mack) is as good or better than any of the players we have seen involved in these kind of trades.”
That kind of haul looks to be consistent with the kind of big-time trades that don’t involve quarterbacks. But because having a high-end pass-rusher of Mack’s caliber is as important to the defense as a quarterback is to an offense, there is a case for a potential Mack trade to rival a deal that would be made for a game-changing quarterback. And because of the Bears’ situation, they could be very much in the mix.
Corry lists the Bears, Buffalo Bills, Indianapolis Colts, New York Jets, and (ugh) Green Bay Packers as five teams with the need to acquire a playmaking pass-rusher, the ability to absorb Mack’s cap hit and room for an extension (or at least position themselves to do so). The Bears are one of a handful of teams with more than $25 million worth of cap room. And while some of that money could possibly be earmarked for extensions to nose tackle Eddie Goldman or safety Adrian Amos, keeping some wiggle room to be able to afford Mack is something that should be kept in mind.
We have previously discussed the Bears as a team that makes a lot of sense as a potential partner, but we have also dealt with the harsh reality that oddsmakers don’t quite see it that way. But as long as Mack’s name is out there on the rumor mill and terms of agreement on an extension aren’t reached, the Bears have a shot to land a premier pass-rusher. And while the team has a developing pass-rusher in Leonard Floyd whose arrow is pointing up, I can only imagine how much more of an impact Floyd could have if he had a certified stud like Mack next to him.
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