The Las Vegas Raiders had an interesting idea for solving their defense problems this offseason. According to The Athletic‘s Vic Tafur, the Raiders reached out to the Chicago Bears and tried to bring back Pro Bowl Khalil Mack.
The Raiders head coach Jon Gruden called the Bears’ front office back in March to see if Mack was available. Chicago was hampered with cap issues at the time, and Gruden believed they might entertain the idea of parting with the 30-year-old player’s big contract.
However, the Bears didn’t even engage in talks for Mack and gave Gruden a straight no.
The Raiders ended up picking up Pro Bowl DE Yannick Ngakoue in the free agency as a fix for their defense and are reportedly pleased with the way the move worked out so far. Chicago, on the other hand, engaged in cap gymnastics and managed to dig themselves out of a financial hole.
This would signal that the Raiders have seller’s remorse over Khalil Mack
One of Gruden’s first moves as a head coach of Las Vegas Raiders was to orchestrate Mack’s trade to the Bears after the 2016’s NFL Defensive Player of the year asked for a big-time extension. The Raiders ended up getting a package of picks that included two first-rounders (2019 and 2020).
The trade worked out for the Bears in terms of getting a productive player that notched 30.0 sacks in three seasons and helped them reach playoffs two times. The Raiders, on the other hand, turned the picks into Pro Bowl running back Josh Jacobs and corner Damon Arnette.
