The Oakland Raiders got a huge haul in return for Khalil Mack when the Chicago Bears traded them two first-round picks, and it sounds like they are not sweating the loss of a player they felt they had no chance of keeping anyway.
From the time Jon Gruden took over, it became quite clear he had no intention of signing off on Mack becoming the highest-paid defensive player in NFL history. Raiders defensive coordinator Paul Guenther was apparently on board with the decision to deal the former Defensive Player of the Year.
Guenther said it was a case if you keep Mack, “you lose seven other players” later
— Vic Tafur (@VicTafur) September 6, 2018
If you want to make a case against having any player on your roster be the highest-paid at his position, just look at the way the New England Patriots have been able to sustain success for so long. A lot of it has to do with Bill Belichick and Tom Brady, but their philosophy is to avoid committing an insane amount of money to a single player so their roster remains strong year in and year out. Perhaps Gruden is trying to follow that formula and felt having two additional first-round picks was the best thing for the Raiders.
As we know, Oakland had a specific reason for trading Mack to the Bears when several teams made respectable offers. Gruden is clearly trying to be a forward-thinker, and time will tell if his approach pays off.
