Trading Khalil Mack will be Jon Gruden’s worst decision

Khalil Mack, the Oakland Raiders best player, has been traded to the Chicago Bears. This trade is sure to set Raider Nation ablaze with anger never before seen.

There were countless times that Raider nation and members of the media laughed at the rumors of trades talks for Khalil Mack. Now the world is laughing with those trade talks turning into reality. The Oakland Raiders or rather head coach Jon Gruden have traded the All-pro player Khalil Mack to the Chicago Bears.

The Raiders are to receiver at least two first rounders and more. A trade that makes no sense by any means.

Trading away a player that is clearly elite for a couple of future players that likely won’t even reach Mack’s level of elite status. Raider nation I understand your anger and disbelief. It almost feels like, as a fanbase, that you can never have good things.

And that most likely will be the narrative with Gruden leading the way. By trading the team’s best player, Gruden has sent multiple messages about the environment of the Raiders.

If you’re a captain you are not safe. If you are an All-pro you are not safe. If you work hard and do all you can to bring success to the team you are not safe. How can any draft pick or free agent feel like they can perform under this head coach? This has always been a problem with head coaches having general manager power. They make rational decisions and it seems like Gruden is falling under that category.

Make no mistake. Had Reggie McKenzie been in charge of this Khalil Mack would have already been signed. He did it with Derek Carr with a year left on his contract and with Gabe Jackson. Gruden simply just doesn’t want to cripple the cap with two players getting paid over $20 million yearly. Raider nation exploded when Gruden returned, but how does everyone feel about him now? He just traded away the team’s best player.

Think about this for a second. In any sport, when has a team ever traded a hall of fame player in his prime who was a leader on the team? It just sends a terrible message all around. I understand the trade and see the logic in it, however you just don’t trade away your best player. A player who has continued to get better every year.

A player that is bound for the hall of fame at this rate. The Raiders had finally drafted an elite talent, but now that he’s in his prime the team doesn’t want to pay him? Inexcusable. It’s currently difficult to see the good in this transaction. All the criticism coming towards Jon Gruden is more than warranted.

Bruce Irvin has been vocal on twitter about getting Mack paid. How do you think he’s going to react knowing his coach didn’t want to pay him? Irvin is definitely one of the players that will start giving crooked looks at Gruden. He now moves in as one of the leaders on the team. The displeasure will influence others for sure.

This move is so ludicrous, that it may even have repercussions for this season. No one thought this was possible, but that just shows how little they know of Gruden and the history of the NFL.

John Middlekauff of The Athletic has been pounded by Raider fans on twitter for his speculation and theory of a trade for Khalil Mack. Looks like he had some sort of sense to him since Gruden traded him. Mark Davis deserves some blame here as well. The Raiders having insufficient funds is unclear, but at this point we can definitely throw that in as a possibility. This situation is just an entire mess.

The value for Mack is still yet to be released but it’s disappointing. They should’ve traded him prior to the draft if this was the case. Mack was a fantastic Raider. It would’ve been an honor to see him rock the silver and black his entire career. Unfortunately, being a Raider’s fan comes with torture. This just adds to the long list of displeasures.