Pro Bowl edge rusher Khalil Mack has been traded to the Los Angeles Chargers by the Chicago Bears.
The Chargers poised to acquire Bears DE Khalil Mack in a trade that pairs him with Joey Bosa off the edge, per @AdamSchefter. And Los Angeles won't be done: Expect the Chargers to look for run-stuffing help at DT and corner help in free agency.
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) March 10, 2022
With Mack gone, it’s time to examine the winner of the original Mack trade in 2018.
A Look Back At The 2018 Mack Trade
The Bears gave a lot of draft capital to the Las Vegas Raiders for Mack in 2018.
The Raiders received two first-round picks and a third and sixth from the Bears in the trade, leaving the Bears without a first-round pick for two years.
Mack performed reasonably well in his first year with the Bears, leading the team to the NFC North title and reaching the NFL playoffs.
Mack’s following years with Chicago would make some fans, and even management, question the deal they made to get Mack.
One Man Can’t Do it All, But the Bears Put That Burden On Mack
The Bears don’t have a high-powered offense.
Most fans know the Bears as a team that struggles offensively to get the ball down the field.
The Bears are known for defense, mainly the 1985 Bears.
The 1985 Bears defense took the team to a 15-1 record and a Super Bowl championship.
The problem with the Mack deal for Chicago was the Raiders made the trade because Mack’s contract was up soon, and Mack wanted to get paid.
Reasons #Bears should not trade for Khalil Mack:
– Extremely high cost in draft picks and money.
– He's already 27-years old.
– 2019 draft class strong in EDGE rushers. https://t.co/UXqrhcTbwu— Erik Lambert (@ErikLambert1) September 1, 2018
First, Chicago signed Mack to a six-year, $141 million deal shortly after his trade to Chicago.
The deal would hurt the Bears when the 2019 free agency market started.
The Bears would lose safety Adrian Amos to the 2019 free agency market due to the lack of cap room.
Amos was one of the critical players of the Bears secondary in 2018.
The Bears would also lose other key players from their 2018 roster, preventing a repeat performance from Chicago.
These losses put more burden on Mack, who had to fill the gap of his biggest helpers on defense.
Raiders Make Moves With Picks From The Bears
First, the Raiders acquired running back Josh Jacobs with the 2019 first-round pick they acquired from the Bears.
With the 24th overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, the #Raiders are selecting Alabama RB Josh Jacobs
This is the pick from the #Bears Khalil Mack trade, pick 24 in the draft. pic.twitter.com/njnSCXa71c
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) April 26, 2019
Jacobs has been a dual-threat for the Raiders as a rushing and receiving back, giving Derek Carr a needed weapon on offense.
Jacobs has rushed for over 1,000 yards in two of the three seasons he has been with the Raiders.
Secondly, the Raiders would trade the 2019 sixth-round pick from Chicago, leaving them with two more picks for 2020.
The following year, the Raiders took cornerback Damon Arnette with the 2020 first-round pick from Chicago.
The Arnette pick, however, would prove to be a bust for the team due to his legal issues.
Finally, the Raiders took wide receiver Bryan Edwards with the 2020 third-round pick from the Mack trade.
Edwards started in 13 games for the Raiders in 2021 and had 34 receptions for 571 yards and three touchdowns.
Final Take
The Raiders built for the future with the draft picks they got, the Bears got instant success with Mack.
The short term shows the Bears as the winner, seeing they made the playoffs twice with Mack and won their division once.
NFL teams think about the long term with such matters, and this gives the Raiders the edge from the deal going forward.
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