Raiders Doing Raider Things

By Andrew Banks

The Raiders managed to do what everybody thought they would not.

By the end of the day:

— The #Bears will have Khalil Mack, who will be the highest-paid defensive player in football.
— The #Raiders will have 2 first-round picks and more, plus $23M more per year to play with that would’ve gone to Mack.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 1, 2018

Mack firmly dug his heels in the ground and did not play in any of the preseason games. I have a lot of respect for Khalil Mack for sticking to his word with the Raiders. Most players who hold out usually give in and end their holdout by the start of the season.

This is what happens when you give Jon Gruden complete control of football operations. He’s no Magic Johnson. He could have lost his whole fan base with a move like this. Giving up a sure thing for an unsure thing is a risky move. Especially when that sure thing was a top 3 defensive player in the league, a 3-time Pro Bowler, a two-time All-Pro and a Defensive Player of the Year in 2016. The Raiders look dumb as hell and now if the Raiders don’t make the playoffs Gruden could be done after one season. For my entertainment I hope he gets the pink slip by week 7.

The reaction around the league is buzzing and Twitter is on fire right now.

https://twitter.com/nissen54/status/1035881167411732489?s=20

#Raiders couldn't afford Jon Gruden and Khalil Mack. #broke pic.twitter.com/ITAAkilW8i

— D. Trujillo (@dtru184) September 1, 2018

Just remember, the Raiders spent $100M on Jon Gruden instead of Khalil Mack. pic.twitter.com/m4i6HeWOCP

— Jeremy Brener (@JeremyBrener) September 1, 2018

https://twitter.com/_moniemontana/status/1035873229573955584?s=20

As for the Bears, they got out like bandits on this one. GM Ryan Pace deserves all the credit and a nice steak for the move he pulled off. Two first-round picks for a player of Mack’s stature is well worth it. Especially looking at their current defense. They already had a nice emerging young core. Now they look lethal.

The Bears defensive core now includes:
* Khalil Mack
* Roquan Smith
* Akiem Hicks
* Leonard Floyd
* Kyle Fuller
* Adrian Amos
* Eddie Jackson
* Danny Trevathan
That works.

— Field Yates (@FieldYates) September 1, 2018

According to Bleacher Report columnist Tim Daniels the Bears and Mack will come to terms on a new contract that will make him richer than Aaron Donald. Mack could be available for week 1 which is a nationally televised game next Sunday night against the Packers. A newly motivated Khalil Mack could spell doom for everyone else in the NFC North. This drastically changes the Bears season as Christmas comes early for Chi-Town.

The Raiders have $100 million for Gruden, but when it comes to paying a former defensive player of the year I guess that’s out of the question. How could the Raiders be so stupid? Oh right, because they are the Raiders. This morning just got better. Have a great day!

Bank On It!