Oakland Raiders head coach Jon Gruden addressed the media for the first time since the blockbuster trade of Khalil Mack to the Chicago Bears.

Gruden admits that Mack's contract demands far exceeded what the team was willing to offer and felt that the trade offer from the Bears was worth taking.

“We made an offer. I don't believe we were anywhere close to where the Bears were. The Bears made us an offer that we thought was really unique,” Gruden said per Nick Shook of NFL.com.

The Bears gave up two first-round picks, a 2020 third-rounder, and a 2019 sixth-round selection in exchange for Mack, a 2020 second-round pick, and a 2020 fifth-round pick.

Gruden said the team did not get the sense that Mack would report anytime soon, and instead of continuing to wait for him to show up with the regular season creeping closer, they made the decision to trade their star defensive player away.

Related NewsArticle continues below
Tom Brady appears at American Dream for the grand opening of Card Vault by Tom Brady, a sports card and memorabilia retailer, East Rutherford, Friday, Apr. 11, 2025.
How Tom Brady’s ‘Vision’ Helped Spark Bombshell Changes for Raiders
NFL Commissioner Rodger Goodell, left, with Boise State Broncos running back Ashton Jeanty is selected by the Las Vegas Raiders as the number six pick in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft at Lambeau Field.
Raiders’ Ashton Jeanty reveals Chip Kelly’s demand to fix ‘Michael Myers’ stance
Las Vegas Raiders first round draft pick in the 2025 NFL Draft Ashton Jeanty, speaks to the media at Intermountain Health Performance Center.
Raiders’ Ashton Jeanty dishes on why he ‘dropped a bag’ to get No. 2 jersey

“We have waited. We waited and waited and the Rams game (season opener) was looming. Our feeling was he was not going to report anytime soon. … You can wait it out, you can franchise him, you can force him to play, but we made a decision and we're going to stand by it.”

Gruden distanced himself from the day-to-day negotiation surrounding Mack, saying he “had nothing to do with it.” Although, he did acknowledge that the $90 million in guaranteed money the Bears gave to Mack was a number the Raiders just could not reach.

“Ninety-million guaranteed is an astronomical number. It's phenomenal for the players, great for him, obviously, but that was something we could not do. It's tough to trade him, but there's an economic part of this that's also tough.”

After going through with that tough economic decision, Gruden and the Raiders will now have the even tougher task of finding a way to make up for Mack’s loss on the field this season.