The Oakland Raiders came out victorious over Khalil Mack and the Chicago Bears on Sunday. But in the larger sense, the Raiders also came out on top when looking back on the trade from a season ago.
Sure, if you ask Jon Gruden and the Oakland Raiders, or Khalil Mack, they would say that Sunday’s matchup in London was just another game on the schedule. But in reality, everyone knew that the Week 5 battle with the Chicago Bears had a little more weight to it. It was the first time Khalil Mack would face-off against his former team, and specifically the coach that traded him away.
For all of 2018, the consensus was that the Bears won the trade. Chicago dominated to a 12-4 record, won the NFC North, and made it to the postseason. Meanwhile, the Raiders were the antithesis, mustering a 4-12 record, trading away assets, looking towards the future.
And that is what is significant, “looking towards the future.” No one can predict it, but no one can argue what has come to fruition. The Raiders both currently stand at 3-2, with Oakland coming off a huge win at the expense of said Bears, and appear to be better suited going forward into the future (emphasis on the latter).
That’s why, whether critics want to admit or not, the Raiders ultimately came out on top from the Khalil Mack trade. If you don’t believe it, then take a long look at these three reasons why.
Josh Jacobs
Prior to the Week 5 matchup against the Chicago, ESPN’s NFL panel compiled their most current rookie rankings to date. At the top of the list? Josh Jacobs, who more than justified the top ranking with his performance on Sunday (26 carries, 123 yards rushing, and two touchdowns). Jacobs is true three-down back, and he’s proving he can not only do it all but also capable of closing games.
Guess what, were it not for the Khalil Mack trade, the reality is that Josh Jacobs would still be running rampant, albeit in a different uniform. The Raiders drafted Jacobs 24th overall, and that draft pick came by way of trading away Mack to Chicago.
Yes, defenses can win championships, and the pass rusher is becoming near vital to an NFL franchise. But the name of the game is getting into the end zone, and to do that one must have a balanced offense with the passing game and ground game.
The Raiders can proudly say they have a running game with the NFL’s best rookie running back in Josh Jacobs. If Mack were still in Oakland, Josh Jacobs likely wouldn’t.
Trent Brown
Khalil Mack wanted to become the highest-paid defensive player, and rightfully so. But had the Raiders gone through with it, they would effectively be allocating the big money to two players: their franchise QB in Derek Carr and a premier pass rusher in Khalil Mack. But let’s face it, what good is it to have one premier pass rusher when he’s surrounded by holes on the defense?
More importantly, what good is it to have a franchise QB when he’s constantly running for his life in the pocket? That was the case last year when Carr was sacked third most (51 times) of all NFL quarterbacks. Hence why Oakland made Trent Brown the highest-paid tackle immediately at the start of free agency.
Yet, Trent Brown (the best ‘Brown’ signing by far for Oakland) wouldn’t be in Oakland had the Raiders given Mack the money to be the highest-paid defensive player. A team has to protect their franchise quarterback, and that’s why they ended up reserving that cap space. Safe to say the bet paid off. What just happened on Sunday? Khalil Mack with three tackles, one QB hit, but zero sacks. Who was lined up across from him? Trent Brown, and he ended up on the winning side in London.
A Brighter Future
The Raiders are 3-2, second in the AFC West, and if they continue to trend in the right direction, they will be firmly in the hunt for a Wild Card spot. This team still needs and can get better, and the great news is that they have the assets to add more pieces to the roster. Those assets were in large part acquired via the Khalil Mack trade.
The Raiders still have a 2020 first-round pick along with a 2020 third-round pick to look forward to, and that’s the cherry on top of the additional cap space they can look forward to should they want to make a splash in free agency. The Raiders have a franchise QB in Carr, have paid top dollar to keep him protected, and added weapons like Josh Jacobs around him. They can still add to the offense or continue to revamp the defense thanks, once again, to those assets that made its way via Chicago.
Meanwhile, the Bears may have won the trade in 2018, but last I checked the Raiders’ record at 3-2 mirrors Chicago’s record right now. In contrast, the Bears have business to attend to in the future, like deciding to shell out the big bucks to keep that defense in place and assessing whether they truly have a franchise QB on their hands.