Chicago Bears: 5 must-know facts about Khalil Mack trade

Why did the Raiders allow a franchise-altering player to leave?

If I was a Raiders fan, I would be livid. The team brought in Jon Gruden to begin a whole new era of Raiders football. The team will ultimately move to Las Vegas, and with the move comes the need to generate an immediate fanbase amongst the new community.

This, for one, is not how teams go about doing that. I’m no general manager or head coach, but I would assume as much.

Mack was in the last year of his rookie deal, signed back in 2014 after being the fifth overall pick in that year’s draft. His fifth year in the NFL incoming, Mack was set to make $13.846 million in 2018. Of course, with all of the contracts being handed out over the offseason — especially that of Aaron Donald‘s recent deal with the Los Angeles Rams — Mack knew he was worth more.

Both Gruden and general manager Reggie McKenzie didn’t think Mack was worth top dollar, so they were unwilling to extend him. It’s that simple. Why else would they allow him to be traded?

People can say whatever they want about the reasoning behind the move for Oakland, but the fact of the matter is, the Raiders didn’t believe Mack was worth the money.

Update: The Bears gave Mack the money he desired.

This reeks of sheer foolishness on the Raiders’ part, and I guarantee you most of their fans would agree. Mack is viewed as such a powerful force that, believe it or not, his impact on the Bears’ 2018 season has already begun in dramatic fashion.