It has been five years since Khalil Mack left the Las Vegas Raiders (then in Oakland), and by the looks of it, the Los Angeles Chargers linebacker has moved on from his rather controversial time with the franchise.
Mack's time with the Raiders didn't end well, with the team trading him in 2018 after holding out for the entire preseason at the time. It was an embarrassing scenario altogether as Oakland basically shipped their best player for a bunch of wasted draft picks.
There has always been some tension when Mack plays his former team ever since then. But ahead of Week 1 when the Chargers are scheduled to meet the Raiders, don't expect it to be the same for the 31-year-old OL.
When asked about facing the Raiders and whether it is still a revenge game for him, Mack told Joey Reedy of Associated Press: “I mean the people that I didn't like probably aren't there anymore. I'll always have respect for the organization. It has calmed down (from the first two meetings). It's still the same. You'll see.”
Is he talking about former Raiders head coach Jon Gruden? Reading at the signs, while Khalil Mack never publicly lashed out at the disgraced NFL tactician, that certainly seems to be the case.
Whatever the case may be, it is worth noting that Mack has retained a good relationship with his former Raiders teammates like Derek Carr. Considering that, there should be less animosity in their meeting or perhaps none at all.