Khalil Mack reportedly desires a Chicago return. A proven pass rusher could bolster the Bears' defense, and salary cap space exists.
The Chicago Bears need to seriously look into bringing Khalil Mack back for another stint.
Mack was previously with the Bears from 2018-2021 and made the Pro Bowl three of his four years there.
Since his first stint with the Bears, Mack has been with the Los Angeles Chargers. His sack production could definitely be used by Chicago. The Bears ranked 22nd in the NFL this season with 35 sacks.
His one-year, $18 million contract with the Chargers is set to expire, making him an unrestricted free agent, according to Spotrac.
Los Angeles had their season ended by the New England Patriots in the Wild Card Round after a 16-3 loss.
On top of that, Mack has reportedly expressed interest in coming back to Chicago for another run. 670 The Score's Chris Emma revealed the news in March.
"Sources believe Mack has interest in a return to Chicago, where he played from 2018-’21," Emma said. "Mack isn’t interested in the spotlight, but the vision would be for him to be a complementary piece of the defense, not the star."
The 35-year-old isn't getting any younger, so the Bears may be able to get him for less money and on a short-term deal.
This would be great for Chicago, considering how the cap is looking. The Bears are $17.3 million under the cap this offseason, so they'll need to let go of some players to free up space.
Having Mack back in Chicago would not only make the fans happy, but makes sense from a familiarity standpoint as well. Mack played for Bears' defensive coordinator Dennis Allen when he was with the Raiders from 2012-14.
A proven pass rusher like Mack would do the Bears' defense a lot of good.
Plenty of Bears players are set to become free agents, much like Mack is with the Chargers.
Kevin Byard, Jaquan Brisker, Olamide Zaccheaus, Andrew Billings, Jonathan Owens, Braxton Jones and Theo Benedet will be hitting the free agent market. Byard and Brisker both had career years.
Byard led the NFL with seven interceptions, and Brisker finished second on the team with 93 total tackles. Brisker is going to be harder to bring back, with his rising market value that may price the Bears out of an extension.
A reunion with the Bears and Mack just makes too much sense. It'll be up to General Manager Ryan Poles to make it happen.