Bears restructure Khalil Mack, Eddie Jackson, Cody Whitehair contracts

The Bears were over the cap entering the weekend, and Chicago made a few moves to create more than $20M in space and inch under the $182.5M salary ceiling.

Chicago will restructure the contracts of Khalil Mack, Eddie Jackson and Cody Whitehair, according to Adam Schefter, who adds these moves will create more than $23M in cap space. The Bears previously had the NFL’s second-worst cap situation, residing nearly $20M over the cap.

The Bears previously restructured Mack’s deal in 2019. He was due to count more than $26M against Chicago’s 2021 cap. This marks the first restructure of Jackson’s five-year, $58.4M deal. Ditto for Whitehair’s five-year, $51.3M pact. The two combined to count just more than $20M against Chicago’s cap.

The team still has work to do in the cap-space department, and the reshufflings will certainly be connected to a potential quarterback salary. In dire need at quarterback, the Bears are planning to pursue a Russell Wilson trade. Were the Bears to pull off a miraculous deal, they would need to account for by far the highest salary in franchise history. Wilson’s $35M-per-year contract runs through 2023.