It’s pretty rare for NFL siblings to find themselves on the same team. Rarer still for both of them to be good enough to stay together for years on end.
But for one NFL star’s younger brother, the dream of playing together is over. It’s over for now at least.
On Monday, the Chicago Bears released linebacker Ledarius Mack, the younger brother of pass rusher Khalil Mack. The Mack brothers were teammates in Chicago for the past two years.
Their time as teammates ended in March when the Bears traded Khalil to the Los Angeles Chargers.
Sadly, the two never got to play in the same game together. Ledarius Mack got promoted to the active roster only after Khalil suffered a season-ending injury.
Khalil Mack was the No. 5 overall pick out of Buffalo by the Raiders in the 2014 NFL Draft. In eight NFL seasons he’s made the Pro Bowl six times and won the Defensive Player of the Year award in 2016.
Ledarius Mack similarly went to Buffalo but went undrafted in the 2020 NFL Draft. He signed with the Chicago Bears as a UDFA but did not play as a rookie.
Now that Khalil is in Los Angeles, perhaps Ledarius will follow him there. If he’s good enough to play for one team, he might be good enough to play for any other.