Was The Bears’ Trade For Khalil Mack Ultimately Worth It?

However, that great defense was wasted away by their offense in 2018.

From missed field goals to missed touchdown opportunities, Chicago’s offense let their defense down in some games.

But even with those squandered opportunities, the Bears still won the NFC North title in 2018.

So there was success with Mack and the defense despite the offensive performance.

That made for a short-term success of him in Chicago that fans loved.

However, we can’t just look at the short-term with the Mack trade.

Mack Suffered Injuries With Chicago That Hampered His Career

With the hype over Mack being the best defensive player in Chicago, he had a lot of pressure on him.

But that pressure, along with injuries, would hamper the potential long-term success of him with Chicago.

In 2020, he had a knee injury that would, as some would see it, slow him down on defense.

In 2021, his foot injury during a game with the Browns would end his season.

While he played for four games injured, it proved to only make matters worse for him.

He required surgery on his foot, which is why he missed most of the 2021 season.

While he’s a player that plays no matter what, that mindset might have led to his decline in Chicago.

The pressure to perform, regardless of how he felt, is something he cracked from.

Instead of taking time off when hurt, he played through the pain.

While it’s something that most players don’t do, it can be something that bites players later in their career.

However, Mack put his team over his health.

But doing so hurt his career in Chicago as his numbers declined.

Lack Of Offensive Help And Loss Of Defensive Players Ruined Trade Deal

In the end, the trade for Mack was wasted by Chicago.

They didn’t keep the best players from that 2018 Bears defense that ranked as the best that season.

Also, Mack and his defense never saw help from their offense.

Poor management from the general manager and head coach turned a great trade deal into a total waste.

Had Mack kept improving on his 2018 numbers, he might still be in Chicago.

However, Chicago made a trade with the Los Angeles Chargers for a small fraction of what they paid to get Mack.

That ultimately makes the original deal a bust for Chicago, as they gave up a lot of draft picks to get him.