Two Years Later Mack Trade Is Gift That Keeps on Giving
Two years later, on the anniversary of the trade that made the Chicago Bears defense, Bears coach Matt Nagy still learns more and more about Khalil Mack.
Nagy's reaction when he looked out at Lambeau Field in the first half of a loss to the Green Bay Packers and saw Mack playing for the first time in a Bears uniform remains a classic.
"Holy hell," Nagy recalled saying.
It was all about the carnage Mack caused that night, even as the Bears managed to blow a 20-point lead and lose 24-23.
Now Nagy finds out things about Mack like how he really does train constantly, how much leadership he brings to the team and how he makes the team better in ways never even imagined when GM Ryan Pace completed the deal with Jon Gruden.
"I just like being able to look out there and see that he's out there on the practice field," Nagy said.
Who wouldn't?
The Bears paid so much for Mack, yet they say they receive so much.
They traded two first-round picks, a third-rounder and sixth-rounder, but got back Mack, a fifth-rounder and second-rounder. The trade netted the Bears Mack, the pick they used for tight end Cole Kmet and a pick which turned out to be lineman Arlington Hambright.
Before the Bears had Mack they had a good defense and had losing records four straight years. Since getting him, their defense has been a step above. They've won the division and finished .500.
The Raiders got Blessuan Austin, Josh Jacobs, Damon Arnette and Bryan Edwards with the picks they pulled from the Bears. They dealt Austin in another deal, but what they got and the trade had nothing to do with the Mack deal from the Bears' standpoint.
Jacobs gained 1,150 yards and had 20 catches last year, while Edwards and Arnette are rookies who might shine for years. Or they might not.
And the Raiders lost Mack, one of the league's most dominant pass rushers while losing his big pay check. They've gone 4-12 and 7-9 the last two years without him.
Coming off his worst season since his rookie year, Mack has said he is highly motivated, but no more so than ever.
"We've had some good discussions as far as his motivation right now of where he's at," Nagy said. "He leads by example with this defense.
"Again I'll go back to the very first day he showed up two years ago, that first practice that he had with us. And nothing's changed up until today's practice, so I don't have any great stories for you with him other than that guy is just ready to play football."
Of course, this wasn't true, Nagy had stories.
Like, rookie tackle Lachavious Simmons has become the player who is learning how to block for the second team against Mack at practice.
"He only has one speed, and our tackles are feeling that right now," Nagy said. "LC, Simmons, Lachavious Simmons, I saw him in the cafeteria the other day and he told me in his country voice, he said, 'coach, going against Khalil in that scrimmage, I realized how crazy good he is. But coach, it's gonna make me better.' "
Nagy recalled hearing the same thing two years ago when Rashaad Coward had moved over to offensive tackle from defense and had to block Mack in his first practice.
"He looked at me and had these big eyes that he's going against 52," Nagy said. "But I will share a story about Khalil that I think needs to be recognized. There was a drill about a week ago, maybe y'all saw it, but he was over there running the drill while (outside linebackers) coach (Ted) Monachino was down with the other guys.
"He has a pad on his arm and he's teaching these guys different techniques. I think that's special. That's on another level. There's times where he's walking on these fields in from practice and I see him walking with some of the younger guys and his brother (Ledarius) and he's stopping in the middle of his walk to just show these guys certain moves. That's just who he is. He's rare. And I just love that about him."
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