In the short period of time that has passed since the Oakland Raiders made the decision to trade All-Pro defensive end, Khalil Mack, there has been plenty of criticism tossed the franchise's way primarily at head coach Jon Gruden.
During a recent interview with TMZ Sports, former star linebacker and current NFL Network analyst Willie McGinest has voiced that he believes Gruden should have talked to Mack.
“If you're a coach coming into a new situation and this is a player that you covet and you really want on your team, there's no egos in this,” the ex-Patriot tells TMZ Sports.
“I think you call the player and express your feelings and what you expect and what you need.”
The lack of communication on both sides had a major impact on how things wound up transpiring in the entire situation. It had prevented there from ever being any real discussion toward a new deal being worked out at any point, which only grew louder as the start of the 2018 season neared closer. All of this simply led to the Raiders decide to trade their star defensive end to the Chicago Bears for a slew of draft picks that included a pair of first-round selections.
It didn't take long for Mack to make a strong impression on his new team as he had single handily helped propel the Bears to a dominating first half that saw him record a sack, fumble, fumble recovery, and an interception returned from a touchdown in his limited action. The 27-year-old has proven to be a generational type of talent that could be a centerpiece to Chicago's defense for the next several years, which made inking him to a six-year, $141 million extension an easy decision for the franchise.
Time will tell if this was the right choice made by Gruden and the Raiders to pass on working out a lucrative contract to keep Mack in Oakland for the long haul.
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