Over the years, the Chicago Bears and Las Vegas Raiders have come together a few times to strike a deal. The latest trade brought kicker Eddy Pineiro to Chicago a couple of years ago, but the biggest deal came back in 2018.
Just before that season started, Chicago was able to land All Pro pass rusher Khalil Mack, and fans erupted with excitement.
Since then, Mack has been the true alpha and leader of the Bears defense and become a fan favorite, naturally. But, three years later, not everyone is convinced the Mack trade was a great move.
Every once and a while you’ll see a reporter or analyst go back to that trade and question it, which is fine, because the Bears are convinced they are keeping Mack for the long haul — and proved it this offseason when the Raiders inquired about bringing him back to the silver and black.
When NFL free agency kicked off earlier this year, the Chicago Bears shot down an offer to send Khalil Mack back to the Raiders.
It almost seems laughable that the Raiders would think they could right their wrong by attempting to get Mack back from the Bears. Essentially, they were admitting that they made a mistake by trading him in the first place.
Las Vegas can spin it any way they want. Whether they think they were helping the Bears with their cap issues or not, it’s pretty blatant what the Raiders were doing. They wanted Mack because he is an elite player, and they realized they made a mistake.
In the last three seasons with the Bears, Mack has continued to finish in the upper echelon of pass rushers in major categories, and despite his sack numbers being less than what we’d desire, outlets like Pro Football Focus continue to grade him amongst the top five in all of football.
The most recent example of respect for Mack came when he was voted as the league’s no. 23 overall player on the NFL Top 100, where the players vote on the top 100 players in football. Regardless of position, Mack is still one of the very best in this league.
It is no wonder the Raiders would want him back. The way he impacts games on every single snap is unmatched by most. Other than a guy like Aaron Donald, very few are powerful enough to wreck and offensive line on a regular basis.
Vegas will have to stick it out with their guys while Mack stays in Chicago long-term. There was never any way the Bears were going to entertain an offer for Mack, especially not to send him back to where they got him in the first place. If anything, this whole ordeal simply proves the Bears made a wise move three years ago, landing one of the best defensive players in all of football.
