Chicago Bears Receive a Ranking Among 30 Best Trades of 2018

Trades can often have some of the most far-reaching impacts on NFL teams from year to year. It's the same in any sports. All it comes down to is who the trade involves and how it affects the overall status of the roster. The Chicago Bears front office hadn't made a big trade of any kind in several years. Not since their blockbuster move to grab Jay Cutler back in 2009. Sure the Mitch Trubisky trade was a major shock, but it wasn't quite up there in terms of a titanic shift of players or picks. No one would blame them for being gun shy. The Cutler trade did well for them early on as he helped them reach the NFC championship in 2010. However, over time it became clear the QB wasn't worth the price they paid. This 2018 season became the Year of the Trade for the NFL. So many moves were made by many teams. Enough to where Bill Barnwell of ESPN actually ranked the 30 that he deemed the best and most franchise-altering. Given the array of big moves GM Ryan Pace made, did any of them make the list? [video width="1280" height="720" mp4="https://www.sportsmockery.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Khalil-Mack-gets-sacks-with-his-back-@52Mack_.mp4"][/video]

Chicago Bears front office went all-in on Khalil Mack and nailed it

While many trades were made between early March and late October, only one genuinely shocked the NFL world. That came on September 1st when it was announced the Bears were sending four draft picks including two future 1st rounders to the Oakland Raiders for superstar pass rusher Khalil Mack and two draft picks. It was a deal nobody saw coming and most felt could immediately transform the landscape of the NFC. The Bears defense was already good the year before. Adding a guy who is good for at least 10-12 sacks a year could make it great overnight. A few months later, Chicago finished with the #1 defense in football, went 12-4, and hosted a playoff game. Barnwell believes there's no arguing that what Chicago did was risky and it paid off in every way imaginable.

"Judging a trade like this after one year isn't really fair in most cases. The Raiders haven't even drafted any of the players who would form the return of this deal. Given that the Raiders reportedly chose Chicago's offer because they expected the Bears to return high draft picks, though, it's hard to argue that they scouted their possibilities well. It also served as the white flag for Oakland's season before it even began. The most impactful trades in a typical season will transform one team. This trade transformed two. Impact grade: A+"

Understand that Mack missed two games this year and played another two with an injured ankle. So he was basically effective in 12 games and still had 12 sacks. That's the sort of playmaker he was in Oakland and now is in Chicago. The best part is this was only the beginning. Great pass rushers tend to last a long time in the NFL. Several are still productive into their mid-30s. Mack turns 28-years old this year. His best years are at hand and the Bears have him locked up on a contract through the next five seasons. So yeah. They did pretty well there.