Return of the Mack may soon be the song of choice for Chicago Bears fans. With the 2025 NFL Free Agency period opening on Monday, there continue to be signs of a reunion between Mack and the Bears.
With the Bears continuing to look like an unlikely suitor in a potential trade for Trey Hendrickson of the Cincinnati Bengals, it seems far more likely that the team would be willing to target a veteran pass-rusher like Mack on a short-term deal. The idea of the Bears doing so gained steam this past week when the front office used draft capital to address their biggest needs along the offensive line.
As the Bears enter free agency, beyond a pass rusher, the team also has a need at center. In setting the stage for the start of free agency, Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated provided updates on Mack's market and who the Bears are targeting at center.
Breer mentioned that while the Los Angeles Chargers would like to bring Mack on a deal, the Bears may be the more likely destination. Breer mentioned that Mack would likely be looking for a deal with an AAV of $15MM. If that is the true asking price of Mack, it would be no surprise that the Bears would act quickly to bring him back. As for center, Breer is one of the many insiders continuing to connect the dots between the Bears and Drew Dalman.
Khalil Mack, Drew Dalman at the center of the Chicago Bears' free agency plans
All things considered, this year's free agent class isn't that great. That would be one of the reasons why the Bears acted early in their trades for Jonah Jackson and Joe Thuney. Those trades created the flexibility for the Bears to be more targeted with their free-agent approach. If the Bears come away from this week with Dalman and Mack as their big-ticket free-agent items, that will only increase the flexibility they would have for the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft.