The biggest trade of the year in the NFL is expected to go down between the Raiders and Bears.
Khalil Mack is expected to be traded from Oakland to Chicago, according to multiple reports this morning.
The deal isn’t done, but reports indicate that both teams want to get it done. It would presumably involve the Bears sending significant compensation to the Raiders (the asking price is said to be two first-round draft picks) and Mack agreeing to a long-term contract with the Bears.
Mack’s contract will likely be in the same neighborhood as the contract Aaron Donald signed with the Rams yesterday. Donald’s contract getting done gave everyone involved a better idea of what a top-tier defensive player should go for, and it’s apparently an amount that the Bears are willing to pay but the Raiders are not.
The Bears currently have $23 million in cap space for this year, so they could absorb Mack’s $13 million salary for 2018 right away and continue working toward an extension later, but they’re more likely already all on the same page about how much Mack will make.
Now the Bears will hope the 27-year-old Mack can be a Monster of the Midway for years to come.