4 reasons the Chicago Bears should stay away from this potential free agent
By Dakota Wayne
Reason No. 1: Danielle Hunter will be [almost] 30 to begin next season
In the NFL, players usually don't play until they're 40 years old. That's something a rare breed of human can do, and the played position is a major factor in that. Kickers and punters could have a much longer career than running backs, as the wear and tear kickers and punters go through doesn't compare to that of a running back.
Edge rushers, for example, don't necessarily play close to 40 on a consistent basis. Once edge rushers turn 30, that seems to be the end of the peak era. Khalil Mack— a known athletic freak— is 32 and somehow still putting up incredible numbers. Outside of Mack, there isn't a 30-year-old player in the top 10 in sacks for the 2023 season.
Including Khalil Mack, there were four total players in the top 30 in sacks last year. Those four players: are Jadeveon Clowney (30), Leonard Floyd (31), Khalil Mack (32), and Denico Autry (33).
Been waiting for the first "real" move by fresh #Bears GM Ryan Poles, and a pending trade of Khalil Mack to the Chargers for second and sixth round picks is it. Poles told us he wanted to build through the draft, and this is the start of that. Poles now has an identity.
— Mark Grote (@markgrotesports) March 10, 2022
For a team that traded away an aging Khalil Mack and Robert Quinn under Ryan Poles, it doesn't seem like a move Poles would make to bring in an aging pass rusher.