Having regrets is part of life in the business of football. Nobody gets into the NFL profession without having a few of them. Three years after the Las Vegas Raiders traded Khalil Mack to the Chicago Bears, it’s pretty clear that is one they’d like to have back. The Raiders defense has been a miserable wreck without the superstar pass rusher, frequently unable to put enough pressure on the quarterback.
Apparently, head coach Jon Gruden was hoping to rectify that mistake earlier this offseason. According to Raiders beat writer Vic Tafur of The Athletic, he and GM Mike Mayock placed a phone call to the Bears. They asked if Mack was by chance available for trade. The idea was Chicago had major salary cap issues and also would likely need draft capital to pursue a quarterback. By the sound of things, GM Ryan Pace and head coach Matt Nagy weren’t having any of that.
“The Raiders have had a glaring need for a proven pass rusher since trading Mack to the Chicago Bears nearly three years ago and when free agency opened in March, they targeted and planned to sign Yannick Ngakoue.
But before they did, they made a phone call, league sources said.
Would the Bears be interested at all in trading Mack back to the Raiders?
The Bears had significant salary-cap issues — which forced them to release All-Pro cornerback Kyle Fuller and restructure several contracts — and the Raiders thought it was worth a shot. The Bears were not interested, sources said, and the Raiders went ahead and signed Ngakoue to a two-year, $26 million contract.”
This is hardly a surprise.
Mack is easily the best player the Bears have. As expensive as he is, he’s still worth every penny. Losing Kyle Fuller was difficult but losing Mack almost certainly would’ve been worse for this defense. Maybe if Pace and Nagy felt more secure with their jobs they might’ve considered it. Mack just turned 30-years old and it’s hard to tell how much he has left in the tank. Still, it is never the best thing to ship out a future Hall of Famer like that.
Chicago ended up restructuring his contract to find the necessary cap space. So Mack will remain a Bear for the foreseeable future. Las Vegas will move forward with Ngakoue who isn’t on his level but is still a solid pass rusher. The two teams will meet in Week 5 this season at the Raiders’ brand new stadium The Bears will be seeking some revenge for their loss in London two years ago.
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Khalil Mack trade will go down in infamy for the Raiders
It’s fair to wonder if their late owner Al Davis would’ve ever let something like that happen. Given his understanding of the immense value of pass rushers? That is unlikely. This is where Mark Davis giving Gruden total control of the Raiders’ roster proved to be a huge mistake. It is hardly a surprise an offensive head coach would be hesitant to make a defensive player the highest-paid at his position.
When it became clear Khalil Mack wasn’t going to budge, Gruden panicked. Calls were made and eventually a deal was reached with the Bears. Las Vegas got four draft picks including two 1st rounders in the deal and kept the cap space. Chicago got their long-sought-after elite pass rusher that helped their defense become one of the best in football. Since that trade, the Bears have made the playoffs twice. The Raiders have never posted a winning record.
The fact they’ve had a better quarterback during that stretch says it all.
There is no doubt the hope is that Mack will retire a Bear. Health permitting, he should still have a number of productive years ahead of him. Great pass rushers can often last into their mid-30s. The key for Chicago is providing necessary help in coverage. Something that may need some work after losing Fuller this offseason. As for Las Vegas? The trade didn’t exactly yield what they were hoping for as only one of those four picks, running back Josh Jacobs, became has panned out. Trying to bring Mack back is a clear admission of defeat.