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Bears' Khalil Mack Reveals His Goal Is to Be 'Best to Play the Game'
May 29, 2019
Chicago Bears linebacker Khalil Mack already has one NFL Defensive Player of the Year award on his resume, but he is still working on achieving his ultimate goal—he wants to be the best...ever.
"[Chicago outside linebackers coach Ted Monachino] asked me what I wanted to do, and what I wanted to be. I want to be the best. I want to be the best to play the game," Mack said Wednesday (via Pro Football Talk's Michael David Smith). "We're trying to work toward that."
Mack has done a solid job of working his way into potentially joining the conversation since being taken with the fifth overall pick in 2014.
The 6'3", 252-pound linebacker has piled up 53 sacks through the first five years of his career, reaching double figures in each of the last four seasons. He proved last season that it doesn't matter what team he plays for, as he managed 12.5 sacks in his first season in the Windy City.
According to Pro Football Focus, Mack was among the best at generating pressure in 2018:
Mack is widely viewed as one of the top linebackers in football, and he already has plenty of accolades to support that notion. Not only does he have a Defensive Player of the Year award to his name, but he also has four Pro Bowl nods and three first team All-Pro selections in five seasons.
Oh, he also has a $141 million contract, which is the richest in league history for a defensive player.
Still just 28 years old, Mack has plenty of time to add to his resume. For now, though, he is using past legends as motivation.
"There's so many greats," Mack added (via Smith). "You've got LT [Lawrence Taylor], you've got Derrick Thomas, you've got special, special guys who have played this position. All you can do is chase."