The Chicago Bears enter the middle of the 2026 season positioned as potential buyers before the Nov. 10 trade deadline, according to a trade pitch from Max Dible of Heavy.
Chicago has opened with a 3-1 record, and its defense has limited the Philadelphia Eagles and New York Jets to 10 points per game in the last two weeks.
The Bears are tied for eighth in the NFL with 10 sacks through four games.
Dayo Odeyingbo leads the team with three sacks, while Montez Sweat and Austin Booker each have two. The secondary is getting healthier and the linebacker group has held up, though larger tests against stronger offenses remain ahead.
Dible suggested a reunion with edge rusher Khalil Mack, who is currently with the winless Los Angeles Chargers, as one way to add production at a manageable cost.
Mack is on a one-year contract worth $18 million, but a team acquiring him now would take on roughly one-third of the remaining value.
“Trading ED Khalil Mack. New Team Acquires 2026: $6.22M (Week 5+). #Chargers Dead Cap 2026: $11.78M,” the Spotrac X account posted. “Mack has 3 sacks & 14 tackles thru 4 games this season, after posting 5.5 sacks/32 tackles in LA last year.”
Those figures show the 35-year-old still generating pressure despite Los Angeles sitting at 0-4. He recorded 5.5 sacks and 32 tackles in 12 games during the 2025 season after a career-high 17 sacks in 2023.
Mack spent four years with the Bears from 2018 to 2021, making three Pro Bowls and two All-Pro teams while finishing second in Defensive Player of the Year voting in 2018. He is a 13-year veteran, a nine-time Pro Bowler and a four-time All-Pro with 116 career sacks.
The Chargers brought him back on a fully guaranteed one-year deal after he weighed retirement following their Wild Card loss. With the team struggling and Mack’s contract set to expire, Dible noted that a Day 3 draft pick could be a realistic return.
A fifth-round selection or similar compensation has been floated as a possible price for a player of his age and current output.
Chicago could add a former fan favorite without a long-term salary commitment, as the acquiring team would absorb about $6.22 million of the remaining cap hit.
The Bears’ early defensive numbers have exceeded expectations, but the stretch of games ahead could test the depth of the pass rush.
Dible’s pitch frames Mack as a short-term reinforcement rather than a franchise-altering addition ahead of the deadline.
