Sam Acho says Khalil Mack will help Bears ‘win a Super Bowl’, but at what cost?

When Bears outside linebacker Sam Acho heard the news from a fan that Khalil Mack was going to be a Bear this season, he couldn’t have been more thrilled for the team.

“I was beyond excited because we’re trying to win a Super Bowl,” said Acho, who was promoting his upcoming charity event downtown at Steak 48 on Tuesday. “[When] you bring a guy like this on your team — he helps you win.”

But at what cost?

When the excitement started to simmer, reality sunk in for Acho. Mack, who became the highest paid defensive player ever when he signed his $141 million deal with the Bears this weekend, will likely start, which would push Acho down to second string on the team’s depth chart.

At first, it was a tough pill to swallow. But Acho, who turns 30 next week, is trying to look at the larger picture of Mack’s trade.

“The simple answer — not the easy — but the simple answer is it’s not about me,” Acho said before pausing for 10 seconds to gather his thoughts.

“Like it’s not about me, but it is. It’s not about me — I want to be on the field, but I also want to win Super Bowls. And so Khalil is going to help us win Super Bowls.”

Acho, who’s only had four sacks over the last three seasons with the Bears, made it clear that he’s truly excited about the arrival of Mack and didn’t want to dwell on the negativity of the situation. Acho believes he could actually use Mack, the 2016 NFL Defensive Player of the Year, as a mentor to make him better.

“At the same time like maybe just maybe, God is answering my prayer by bringing this guy who has done everything I’m trying to do and having him be an awesome dude who I can hang with and he can teach me his ways,” Acho said.