Oakland Raiders: Looking at the pros and cons of dealing Khalil Mack
By Kevin Saito
The Oakland Raiders set the NFL world on fire with news that they were trading their superstar pass rusher – let’s look at the pros and cons of the deal.
Oakland Raiders head coach Jon Gruden has fulfilled the second half of Harvey “Two-Face” Dent’s line from the film, The Dark Knight – he’s “lived long enough to see himself become the villain.”
It wasn’t all that long ago that the Raider Nation was ecstatic and overjoyed about the Return of Chucky – the only coach who’s led the team to any sort of success over the last two decades. Most believed that with Gruden back at the helm, it was only a matter of time before the SS Raiders was sailing into smoother, more successful waters once more.
Well, the bloom has now officially come off that rose, and the honeymoon is most definitely over.
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Throughout the summer, we’ve had rumblings of discontent around the Nation, as contract talks with superstar pass rusher Khalil Mack and the team haven’t exactly – progressed. When word leaked out that the two sides hadn’t spoken since February, those rumblings grew into chatter, and eventually, a chorus of outrage from fans.
How could the team not do everything in its power to retain one of the most dominant players in the entire league? How could they not be doing something – anything – to lock up a future Hall of Famer?
Well, reportedly, Gruden and GM Reggie McKenzie have finally done something, and though not totally shocking – perhaps even a little expected at this point – it’s still completely dumbfounding.
In the wake of the news being reported, that the Raiders have an agreement in place to trade the 27-year old superstar to the Chicago Bears, the Raider Nation is letting Gruden and the organization have it with both barrels – then reloading, and giving it to them again.
Of course, the instant reaction is furious beyond words. There’s a virtual frenzied mob carrying torches and pitchforks on Gruden’s virtual lawn as these words are being written. It’s, as they say, not pretty out there right now.
Dealing Mack is a complicated issue that carries a lot of weight on a lot of different levels. It’s a really multi-layered cake of – stuff. Most of it emotional – as the outpouring of rage obviously illustrates.
But, there is also a compelling “football” argument to be made in favor of the trade – don’t get this twisted either, this is not to say they should have traded Mack, but, if you can take the emotion out of it for just a moment, step back, and look at it with some genuine objectivity and perspective, you might see there are actually pros – as well as plenty of cons – to this deal.
With that in mind, let’s get into that, and take a look at just a few – this is by no means, a comprehensive list – of the pros and cons of Oakland dealing Mack to Chicago…