Every Chicago Bears fan remembers the stunning trade they made to acquire Oakland Raiders defensive end Khalil Mack and how much that changed the franchise.
Getting Mack completely changed the defense as the team became more competitive with him until he was traded in the 2022 offseason to the Los Angeles Chargers in exchange for a second-round pick that turned out to be safety Jaquan Brisker. Now, the Bears might have a strong chance of making a reunion happen with one phone call.
NFL insider Ian Rapoport reported that Mack will not be retiring and will pursue playing in 2026. While Mack will consider all options, the Chargers are expected to make him a priority to bring back onto the team
Could Khalil Mack come back to the Bears for one more run?
Mack was a force with the Bears, for whom he played during a four-year run between 2018 and 2021. In 53 games with the Chicago Bears, he racked up 163 tackles, 52 quarterback hits, 36 sacks, 35 tackles for loss, 14 forced fumbles, 11 pass deflections, six fumble recoveries, two interceptions, and one touchdown. He made the Pro Bowl three times as a Bear and was an All-Pro in 2018.
Chicago is desperate for pass-rusher help after only accumulating 35 sacks last season, with just six teams having fewer than that. Montez Sweat was the lone top edge rusher with 10 sacks, with defensive tackle Gervon Dexter second with six sacks. There is promise with Austin Booker, who had 4.5 sacks, but he only played the back half of the season after missing the first two months to injury.
The Bears whiffed badly on the defensive line last year as they spent over $80 million in total contract value on defensive tackle Grady Jarrett and defensive end Dayo Odeyingbo. Jarrett did not do much in the middle, while Odeyingbo had one sack before missing the last nine games of the regular season due to an Achilles injury he suffered against the Cincinnati Bengals.
While Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby is number one on the Bears' wishlist at defensive end, Mack would make for a perfect fallback player there. Chicago could sign Mack and then draft a young edge rusher in the first two rounds to develop for the future.
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Mack in a Bears uniform would be great to see just one more time before the 35-year-old really starts considering retiring for good.