The New York Jets believe they might have been able to put together a better deal than what the Chicago Bears sent to the Oakland Raiders for Khalil Mack, but we’ll never know.
And frankly, I’m OK with that.
Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News reports the Jets made a highly competitive offer to the Raiders as they tried to snag the prize in the Khalil Mack Sweepstakes. We already know what the Bears had to send to the Raiders for Mack, but we’re only starting to find out now what other teams were putting on the table. The Jets’ reported offer included a 2019 first-round pick, 2020 second-round choice, and more. Mehta goes on to add the Jets were willing to tack on to their original offer, but the Raiders didn’t give them a chance to do so. That’s certainly a bold negotiating tactic, isn’t it?
The Jets are convinced the Raiders were so hung up on getting Mack out of the AFC that it prevented them from re-engaging in trade talks. As we discussed back in September, the Raiders had some peculiar motivating factors to get a deal done with the Bears. Oakland didn’t want to send Mack to a regional rival (despite a strong offer from the 49ers) and appear to have used a similar line of thinking to keep him away from a conference foe. If that’s the case, then this bold and curious decision to eliminate teams in this fashion could have kept the Raiders from maximizing their return. But in the end, the team received the two first-round picks it desired, though it cost them a 2020 second-rounder in the process.
I’m not surprised there were multiple competitive offers from teams looking to acquire Mack before the season, nor am I shocked that we’re seeing more detailed reports of what was on the table. And honestly, nothing the Raiders will do moving forward will shock me. We’re glad the Raiders had their reasons to trade with the Bears and that the front office stood their ground to make a deal happen. Though, I’ll be happier when the Bears return to the win column and make those Raiders picks slightly less valuable.