Rarely do you see a team trade for a big star that they themselves traded away previously, but it appears the Las Vegas Raiders were an exception to that rule. According to Vic Tafur of The Athletic, head coach Jon Gruden placed a call to the Chicago Bears inquiring about the team’s top pass rusher Khalil Mack. Yes, the same Khalil Mack the Bears acquired from the Raiders for two first round picks back in 2018.
This offseason, Las Vegas called Chicago with a trade offer that would have brought star pass rusher Khalil Mack back to the Raiders, sources tell @VicTafur.
The Bears were not interested.
📚 More: https://t.co/kktaFzEBLZ pic.twitter.com/wf8bDq2V0U
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) August 23, 2021
It’s the Bears’ worst kept secret that they were in serious salary cap trouble earlier this offseason, which led to the release of All Pro cornerback Kyle Fuller. This situation is something that the Raiders felt they could take advantage of in helping bolster their pass rush in 2021, but Chicago had no plans to move their star player. As a result, the Raiders moved on to Yannick Ngakoue who they signed to a two-year, $26 million contract.
While this may seem very bizarre that the Raiders would try and backtrack a trade that shook up both the AFC West and NFC North, Tafur is quick to point out that Gruden himself said he cried for three days after trading Mack back in 2018. Crying may seem just a tad excessive, but for an All Pro pass rusher of Mack’s caliber, it’s pretty obvious those are the types of players that you don’t come around every day.
Entering his age 30 season, Mack is a $14.6 million cap hit in 2021, his third year of a six year extension signed back in 2018. In his three years in Chicago, Mack has compiled 144 tackles, 30 sacks and 2 interceptions in 46 games.
Make sure to check out our Chicago Bears forum for the latest on the team as training camp continues in the month of August leading up to the Week 1 kickoff in early September against the Rams.
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