Bears deal for Khalil Mack looks like a bargain based on how things are going
By John Buhler
Khalil Mack’s Chicago Bears contract is looking even more like a bargain.
The Chicago Bears‘ contract with Khalil Mack is looking like a bargain with every passing second.
Two offseasons ago, the Bears orchestrated a blockbuster trade with the then-Oakland Raiders for the undisputed best pass-rusher in football. Upon being dealt to Chicago, Mack signed a six-year, $141 million contract extension with the Monsters of the Midway. The five-time Pro Bowler and three-time First-Team All-Pro is under contract in Chicago through the 2024 NFL season.
Though there is a potential out entering the 2022 NFL season, the Bears know they are getting a motivated superstar outside linebacker entering year three with the team. With four years left on his deal with an annual average of $23.5 million, the Bears have to be loving this, as the pass-rushing market is exploding around them and they don’t have to do a thing but watch.
Khalil Mack’s contract is a steal for the Bears for the next few seasons.
With defensive end Myles Garrett of the Cleveland Browns slated to make $125 million on a five-year extension and defensive tackle Chris Jones making $85 million and $60 fully guaranteed over four years, Mack’s contract is getting better by the second. Let’s not overlook that the Pittsburgh Steelers have to pay outside linebacker T.J. Watt here soon as well.
Though Mack is a few years older than the front-seven triumvirate, as he came into the league in as the No. 5 overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, he is still on the good side of 30 and he’s only had fewer than 8.5 sacks once since his rookie season. Granted, that 8.5 mark came last season, but he had gone over 10 in the previous four. Look for him to hit 100 sacks in his career in Chicago uniform.
Throughout his NFL career, the only other pass-rushing who has consistently been on his level was Von Miller of the Denver Broncos. Miller came into the league as the No. 2 overall pick out of Texas A&M in the 2011 NFL Draft. However, both pass-rushers are inevitably destined for Canton should they keep up the good work we’ve come to expect from them.
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By having Mack under contract, the Bears were able to sign two-time Pro Bowl pass-rusher Robert Quinn in free agency. Quinn had a resurgent year with the Dallas Cowboys. Look for him to be the elite complementary pass rusher he was coming into the league in the early 2010s alongside Chris Long with the then-St. Louis Rams. This pass rush is about to be next-level filthy.
Look for Mack’s contract with the Bears to look even sweeter with every new deal to hit the wire.