The Green Bay Packers know that Khalil Mack has been one of the best defensive players in the NFL since 2015. After being traded from the Oakland Raiders to the Chicago Bears in September of 2018, Mack has continued his dominant ways.
In Macks first season in Chicago, the 6-foot-3, 268-pound pass rusher put up 47 tackles, 12.5 sacks and six forced fumbles helping the Bears defense transform into the best unit in the league. Chicago gave up a lot of future assets to acquire Mack's talent but with the impact he has had for the team, regret is unlikely.
Despite a bit of a down year for the sixth-year pro this season, Mack is still one of the best in the NFL. But, what if Mack was never traded to the Bears? Throughout the 2018 offseason, several teams were reportedly interested in the All-Pro player. One of those teams happened to be the Bears biggest rival, the Green Bay Packers.
“Well the whole Khalil Mack thing. It's not that we didn't try,” Packers team President Mark Murphy said. “We were aggressive. We wanted to sign him. I think, ironically, the Raiders took the Bears offer because they thought they would be a better draft pick.”
It's a bit weird to think about Mack in green and yellow but it likely would have changed the trajectory of the Packers. Last season, Green Bay ranked as the 22nd best defense in terms of points allowed and total sacks. With what Mack did for Chicago last year, it's fair to say that the Packers defense would've faired much better.
The thought becomes even scarier when considering the big jump the Packers defense took this year. Mack being a Packer would've also likely affected the Packers draft decisions. Depending on what they would have had to trade for Mack, 2019 first rounder Rashan Gary would've likely been a better fit on another team. This would leave the Packers with the ability to fill another whole on the team.
Of course, Mack wouldn't have fixed everything. The Packers went 6-9-1 last year and longtime head coach Mike McCarthy would end up being fired. It's hard to think that with Mack, Green Bay wouldn't have won at least a few more games. Would it have been enough to make the playoffs, possibly. But, if they did, it would be likely that McCarthy's job would have been safe.
A better defense would have certainly helped the offense as well as the load wouldn't have constantly been on Aaron Rodger's shoulders.
As of today, the Packers are 11-3 and atop the NFC North so I doubt they are too upset about not landing Mack. Regardless, it's interesting to think how the makeup of a team would be changed with a player of Mack's caliber on the roster.
Follow Us
Subscribe