In three seasons under general manager Ryan Pace, the Bears have won a total of 14 games. That is an indisputable fact because math. They’ve been mired in the NFC North cellar even longer, finishing last in the division on every occasion since 2014. The NFL’s oldest franchise stuck in the darkest of shadows. Pace, very evidently, isn’t content with being a cellar dweller anymore.
Khalil Mack, 2016 Defensive Player of the Year and a generational pass rusher, was available for a trade from the Raiders. The price to acquire him meant that whoever completed the trade would effectively be pushing their chips on a two to three-year contention window.