COSTA MESA — Khalil Mack remembered the whirlwind week he had the first time he got traded when he found himself trying to put his emotions at ease after his agent broke the news that he was on the move again.

Brandon Staley was by Mack’s side when he had to learn the Chicago Bears’ complex defense within a week of facing the Green Bay Packers for the 2018 season opener.

“Went from bittersweet to excited,” Mack said about his initial reaction to being traded from the Bears to the Chargers and reuniting with Staley, his new head coach and former outside linebackers coach in Chicago.

Mack had an idea this might happen again after the Bears hired a new coach and general manager during the offseason, but he was still surprised when his agent Joel Segal called last week while watching “Bel-Air.”

“We were watching ‘Bel-Air’ when Joel called, which was kind of a strange coincidence,” Mack said Wednesday at his Chargers introductory news conference. “But it was weird to hear. It was weird to hear, but understanding the team and the coach.”

Mack, the six-time Pro Bowl edge rusher, was reserved and brief with his responses when asked about playing with a star-studded Chargers defense that includes Joey Bosa, Derwin James and fellow newcomer J.C. Jackson. For those who don’t know Mack from his Oakland Raiders days or his time with Chicago, that’s a good sign for his current team.

The less Mack says, the more he wants to prove on the field. Staley described him as quiet, but fierce.

“That’s the easy part to talk about that, right?” Mack said when asked about his new Chargers teammates. “But I’m an action guy. That’s what I’m looking forward to, it’s putting in the work.”

Ironically, “Bel-Air” (the remake of the 1990s Will Smith sitcom “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air”) is a show about a teenager from the other side of the country looking for a fresh start in one of Los Angeles’ richest neighborhoods. But Mack has already done something similar when he was traded by the Raiders to the Chicago Bears for four draft picks, including two first-rounders.

Back then, the steep asking price seemed fair because Mack was clearly one of the game’s top defenders, the other being Rams defensive lineman Aaron Donald. Four years later, the Chargers were able to land Mack without relinquishing a first-round pick, only sending a 2022 second-round pick and a 2023 sixth-round pick to Chicago.

Many were quick to crown the Chargers the winners of the trade, but others hesitated because Mack is no longer viewed in the same light as Donald. That’s where Mack’s short responses on Wednesday come in.

He’s not a talker, but he’s a listener. Mack knows there’s a new narrative about him – that the 31-year-old isn’t the same player.

“You turn on the TV, you hear what they’re saying,” Mack said. “It’s like, ‘OK, bet.’ I’ll bet on myself any day. … That’s always the mindset, new team or not, understanding what the narrative is about me right now. I can’t wait, I can’t wait. I’m not a talker. I rather show y’all than tell you.”

Staley vividly remembers the instant impact Mack made in Chicago when he arrived in early September of 2018.

“When he got to Chicago, our entire team changed,” Staley said. “We were a top-10 defense. When he got there, we became the best defense. It’s because of who he is … lead by example and show you.”

Staley spent countless hours with Mack the week he crammed the Bears’ playbook in his mind. Mack started his Bears stint with a 27-yard interception return for a touchdown against the Packers in Week 1 and guided the top-ranked Bears’ defense to an NFC North title.

“That was the person I spent the most time with when I first got to Chicago,” Mack said of Staley. “In the room together, going through the playbook. … We had five, six days to prepare for the Packers. It was a quick turnaround and he was a big part of me consuming a big part of that playbook, which is complicated as well. Understanding what (then-Bears defensive coordinator) Vic Fangio likes to do.”

Staley and Mack won’t have to rush this time around because it’s March and Staley runs a similar defense to Fangio with his two-high scheme.

“There was a lot of beauty to that,” Staley said about bonding with Mack during the rushed week in Chicago.

Staley said the Chargers went after Mack because he’ll impact the team’s culture, fits the scheme and can be dominant on the field. Those were qualities the Chargers’ defense lacked in Staley’s first season, when the team ranked 30th in the NFL in points allowed (27 ppg) and rushing yards per game (138.9).

“We were looking for somebody who could really impact our team, first,” Staley said. “That can be a real impactor in terms of the culture on our team. On defense, we’re looking for playmakers. We’re looking for style of play, too. And he brings both of those things. … He brings the playmaking ability and also brings the style of play that we really believe in. I didn’t think we had enough of it (last year), not even close.

“He brings what we’re looking for to the table. He’s a dominant, complete defender because he could do everything.”

Staley now has enough playmakers with the additions of Mack, Jackson and defensive tackles Sebastian Joseph-Day and Austin Johnson.

Mack had a similar supporting cast in his first season in Chicago with a loaded defense that included Akiem Hicks, Eddie Goldman, Danny Trevathan, Leonard Floyd, Roquan Smith, Kyle Fuller, Eddie Jackson, Adrian Amos, Prince Amukamara and Bryce Callahan.

Mack named all those players Thursday and thanked the Bears for taking a chance on him, but that group never reached its full potential mosly because of inconsistent play at the quarterback position. That likely won’t be an issue in Southern California with Chargers star quarterback Justin Herbert.

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“A little different,” Mack said about this trade compared to the first one.

This Chargers team might be more of a complete team and Mack has embraced the pressure of delivering better results this time around in his ninth NFL season. The three-time All-Pro also said the foot injury that forced him to miss 10 games last season won’t be an issue.

“100% good to go,” Mack said. “Whatever you want to hear.”

Mack’s arrival is the centerpiece of Staley’s scheme potentially working in 2022, similar to four years ago in Chicago. But reboots are rarely as good as the original.

Although, Mack seems to be a fan of the remake of the Will Smith comedy series. He’s motivated to change the narrative and that’s a good thing for Staley and the Chargers.

“He wants to prove himself right,” Staley said. “If people are saying that, then they certainly don’t know him at all, and if they are saying that, then good luck to them, because you’ll see. You’ll see.”

New jersey #Chargers pic.twitter.com/DAYi7Ou5KM

— Gilbert Manzano (@GManzano24) March 16, 2022