Exactly one year ago Wednesday, Khalil Mack dug in.
Frustrated by a stagnant contract negotiation, the star outside linebacker skipped the first day of the Raiders mandatory minicamp.
He’d never practice for them again. The Raiders traded him to the Bears on the eve of the regular season.
Fast forward 364 days and $141 million later: Mack participated in the first of three Bears minicamp practices Tuesday. It was no surprise; Mack and every one of his teammates had already showed up for all voluntary organized team activities.
“if you just put yourself in his shoes — for him to not show up, that’s a ‘me’ thing,” Bears coach Matt Nagy said. “That’s selfish. He’s selfless. He’s all about ‘we.’ He’s all about his teammates. It’s easy for him. It’s not hard. He just does it. That’s just who he is. When you’re yourself and you be yourself, you just do it. … He’s just doing what he’s supposed to do.”
He’s seeing the benefits of a preseason program.
“It’s huge, it’s huge,” Mack said. “When you think about bringing in a new D-coordinator in Chuck Pagano, and just wrapping your mind around the defense and getting a deep understanding of what it is they want from us as players.
“And then the team camaraderie is huge. When you’ve got all the guys that are going to be playing on the field together, communicating and understanding the defense together at the same time it’s a huge confidence boost.”
Pagano has vowed to keep the Bears’ scheme similar to last year, though the terminology is different. The time spent together is important, Mack said, because it allows them to do everything from fine-tuning coverages to absorbing intangibles.
“All-around learning,” he said.
He didn’t have that luxury last year, when the Bears struck a deal eight days before the start of the season.
“It gives you a lot more time to take it in and get a deeper understanding of ‘why’ you’re doing this and who’s helping who, and why this helps what,” he said. “Instead of just doing it and trying to do it to the best of your ability. On the fly.”
Mack had 12 ½ sacks last year, his most since 2015 despite missing the first two games of his career. He posted his second career pick-six, forced a career-high six fumbles and recovered two more.
Did he hurt him to not have an offseason last year?
“You tell me,” he said with trademark swagger. “I knew I was going to be ready whatever happened. I wanted to be prepared physically more so than anything. Understanding this game on the fly, you can kind of say that ultimately you’re going to have the same patterns. You’re going to have some of the same coverages. So, ultimately, it’s going to all kind of be the same in a sense. Just different words.”
Someone asked Mack again, and his tone changed a bit.
“Not so much,” he said. “But it could have helped me, having an offseason.”
Mack never has to find out again. He smiled when told about how thrilled Virginia McCaskey, the Bears’ matriarch, was with last year’s trade.
He wants to live up to her lofty expectations.
“That’s amazing — It’s real special,” Mack said. “It’s something I prayed and thanked God about. … I know how blessed I am, and I’m so appreciative to have this opportunity.
“But I’ve got to make the most of it, and the most of it would be getting to the big game.”
