There were a lot of factors that went into the Khalil Mack trade (don’t sleep on the idea that Khalil just ticked Gruden off with the holdout), but the company line seems to be that the Raiders weren’t willing to pay Mack anywhere near what the Bears gave him.
You’ll never find a more pro-Raiders opinion than what comes from Fox Sports Radio host J.T. The Brick (who is also employed by the Raiders), but he’s also well-connected and basically confirmed Tuesday what Gruden told members of the media at his press conference: the Raiders were going “nowhere near” what the Bears paid Mack.
But the question is, were the Raiders unwilling to go near that deal or were they unable to go near that deal?
Former Raiders voice Greg Papa knows the organization about as well as anyone and he isn’t sure the Raiders could have paid Mack.
“I was of the opinion the Raiders would not trade [Mack] and I think they were of the opinion that they would not trade him,” Papa said Tuesday on his 95.7 The Game radio show. “But then Friday changed my perspective knowing how they think and when Aaron Donald’s deal came in, it’s so much higher than Von Miller’s… it just changed everything. So the question you have to ask, could the Raiders have signed Khalil Mack and should the Raiders have signed Khalil Mack? There are two distinctly different questions there… Could the ownership have put $90 million into an escrow account to sign him. That’s one question. We don’t really know the answer to that question.”
There were reports prior to Mack’s trade that owner Mark Davis definitively had the cash to pay Mack’s upfront money, but those reports came from many of the same media outlets (obviously with team sources) that scoffed at the idea of Mack being traded in the first place.
Are we really sure the Raiders had the money?
Davis may technically have had the money, but it’s possible he didn’t have the budget. For example, you might be able to go to a car dealership and buy a Corvette, but if the payment doesn’t allow you to pay your electric bill, then you can’t really afford the car.
Just something to keep in mind.
Papa also expressed reservations about Gruden’s ability to coach the team while running the Raiders personnel department. Since taking over most of Reggie McKenzie’s general manager duties, Gruden has dumped a third-round pick on Martavius Bryant (who is no longer with the team), a fifth-round pick on A.J. McCarron, and somehow let a second-round pick sneak into the deal that shipped Khalil Mack to the Bears. Not to mention the fact that Gruden unloaded Mack at the worst possible time in terms of receiving compensation – the Raiders get nothing from the Bears for a full year.
“How is Jon going to have the patience to be able to do this and how much of his role really is with the GM’ing part of the team?” Papa said of Gruden’s new role. “As much time as Jon puts into coaching the football team, you’ve got to have somebody else handle that completely.”
twitter: @raidersbeat
Every team has the money for at least two big stars! Even Chris Davis has it. It is in how you structure that amount. I do still believe Chucky can pull some W’s out this season, however The willingness for Chucky to run things and build for later and not the now should prove to the Raider Nation what he is truly doing for and to the team this year. You simply cannot find a generational player in the draft to compensate for this loss. The AFC West teams are already in celebration mode now, and the Raider Nation is in for a long season. Its great we can put up 21-28 points only to loose the game in the last 5 minutes 21-27, 28-34 with now a truly sub par defense loaded with aging veterans and rooks should prove out this trade . I will never abandon my Raiders, however I will question this move for quite some time
Mark Davis should have taken that into account BEFORE he signed Gruden for 10 years. The whole reason he wanted Gruden was for him to COACH the team.