Mack looking forward to new start with Bears
Armed with a record extension after a blockbuster trade, Khalil Mack is looking forward to a fresh start with the Chicago Bears.
The two-time All-Pro said he is “glad I’m here” and “blessed” after a contract holdout with the Oakland Raiders ended with the star pass rusher getting dealt in a massive move Saturday.
“It’s been a whirlwind, but it’s been exciting,” Mack said Sunday. “It’s new and I’m looking forward to it. I really can’t wait. I’m itching. It’s been a long time since I played football.”
He held out for the entire off-season and preseason trying to secure a longterm deal rather than play under the final year of his rookie contract that would have earned him $13.8 million.
The Bears paid a big price, giving him a six-year, $141 million extension that guarantees $90 million. That made him the highest-paid defensive player in NFL history, a day after the Los Angeles Rams’ Aaron Donald agreed to a sixyear, $135 million deal, with $87 million guaranteed.
Chicago sent Oakland first-round selections in 2019 and 2020, a sixth-rounder next year and a third-rounder in 2020. The Bears got a second-round selection in 2020 — which general manager Ryan Pace called “a critical piece for us” — and a conditional fifth-rounder that year.
What Mack brings could be a game changer for a franchise with four straight last-place finishes in the NFC North. That’s why Pace decided to check with Oakland if Mack might be available.
“This is a premier player at a premier position, and this doesn’t come around that often,” Pace said. “So when it does come around, I’m just proud that I work for an organization that’s willing to be aggressive in these times, and that (coach) Matt (Nagy) and I have the support to be aggressive, and that starts with ownership.”
The 2016 NFL defensive player of the year, Mack has played in every game since the Raiders drafted him fifth overall in 2014. He has 231 primary tackles, 401⁄2 sacks and nine forced fumbles.
Nagy wasn’t sure if Mack would play in the opener at Green Bay. But when he does suit up, a defense that ranked 10th overall last season figures to get a boost.
Broncos cut Lynch: John Elway cut ties with his biggest draft bust when he waived quarterback Paxton Lynch less than 24 hours after including him on the Denver Broncos’ 53-man roster.
Elway once viewed the athletic but raw Lynch as a future franchise quarterback, moving up in the 2016 draft to select the University of Memphis star with the 26th overall pick in the first round.
Elway acknowledged at the time that Lynch was a project who needed some seasoning but he expressed hope that Lynch might be a quick study. He wasn’t.
After bypassing the deep quarterback class in this year’s draft, Elway said he still thought Lynch could be a starting NFL quarterback, insisting, “We are not kicking him to the curb.” That thinking changed Sunday. Gates returns to Chargers: The Los Angeles Chargers aren’t ready to say farewell to Antonio Gates after all.
Four months after the Chargers bade a public goodbye to the leading receiver in franchise history, Gates returned to the team, one week before the start of his 16th season. The Chargers gave the 38-year-old a one-year deal.
The Chargers intended to part ways with Gates last spring after his role declined behind starter Hunter Henry in 2017. Their plans changed when Henry tore a knee ligament in May.