Ryan Poles hasn't been shy when addressing the lack of available draft capital and the five picks the new Chicago Bears general manager inherited to build out the roster.
"Obviously, you want a lot of picks. But that's just the hand we were dealt," Poles said at the recent NFL scouting combine. "We'll be open-minded on how we can create more picks. And we'll be smart about that."
Poles had a wild card to improve that hand, and he played it Thursday. The GM's first major move in Chicago came in the form of trading six-time Pro Bowler Khalil Mack to the Los Angeles Chargers in exchange for a 2022 second-round pick and a sixth-round selection in 2023, sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter. The Chargers will also take on Mack's entire contract, according to Schefter, which has three years remaining and payouts of $17.75 million in 2022, $22.9 million in '23 and $23.25 million in '24.
This is what happens when a new regime takes over a team that has failed to meet expectations.
On the eve of the 2018 season, Chicago sent two first-round picks, a third-round pick and a sixth-round pick to the Raiders in exchange for Mack. Soon after the trade, the Bears made him the highest-paid defender in NFL history.
The Bears made the playoffs in 2018 when a dominant defense -- led by Mack -- fueled a 12-4 regular season, but they lost at home to the Philadelphia Eagles in the wild-card round. They made it again two years later, but neither trip resulted in a win. The Bears featured an elite defense without an offense to match.
Mack, who has been slowed by multiple injuries, made the Pro Bowl in 2019 and '20 but didn't play up to his dominance of 2018, when he had 12.5 sacks, or 2016, when he won Defensive Player of the Year honors.
The 31-year-old defender still possesses difference-making traits that will impact the Chargers, but the size of Mack's contract and a foot injury that limited him to seven games in 2021 were the catalysts behind the Bears' decision to move on.
And now, after a 6-11 season in 2021, the Bears' new leadership has entered rebuilding territory by offloading a player on the back end of his career.
Some might criticize Chicago for giving up Mack in exchange for just two draft picks, considering how good he has been at his best, but the return the Bears received points to how Mack is valued by other franchises. Chicago had north of $27 million in available cap space prior to dealing Mack. It's not as if the Bears had to remedy their cap situation by taking a discount on what they could get in return for Mack.
The 2022 version of Chicago's defense is not going to look like the 2018 rendition. The building blocks are different, centered around young players like linebacker Roquan Smith and cornerback Jaylon Johnson. Instead of holding out hope for Mack to return to form as Matt Eberflus shifts Chicago's scheme from a 3-4 to a 4-3 base defense, the Bears wiped future financial commitments off the books and began to showcase a shift -- one that will now focus on rebuilding around quarterback Justin Fields, who they hope will one day be championship-caliber.
What took place Thursday signifies a rebuild in Chicago. No matter how the team tries to sell its goals for the 2022 season, the Bears are taking a step back this year to be in position to contend for the playoffs, perhaps as soon as 2023. And this could be just the first move of many, as 25 players are in line to hit free agency next week.
Trading Mack cleared $6 million in cap space and gave Chicago one more draft pick for April. But even with an expected $32 million in salary cap space, the Bears have a ton of holes to fill. And according to Poles, not having as much draft capital as he desires to build a team will shift the Bears' focus on how they can maximize the second and third waves of free agency.
Expect Chicago to forgo pricey free agents like Amari Cooper to fill a major void at receiver and instead opt for less expensive options with players willing to sign veteran minimum deals or two-year contracts worth up to $6 million. And then of course, there's always the draft, which appears to be how Poles wants to build this team in years to come.
Poles pulled off a long-term play by deciding to cut bait on an expensive veteran who doesn't fit into the team's shifting identity. While the Bears still have star pass-rusher Robert Quinn under contract, taking a step back now and playing the long game centered on building around Fields instead of the defense could be what the Bears need to return to respectability sooner rather than later.