Raiders get haul of picks after hard decision to unload Mack
ALAMEDA — Reggie McKenzie never planned to unload Khalil Mack.
Mack had been the foundation of the Oakland Raiders defense ever since McKenzie drafted him fifth overall in 2014, and the plan had always been to build the franchise around Mack and quarterback Derek Carr.
One year after signing Carr to a long-term extension, the Raiders traded Mack to the Chicago Bears on Saturday for a package that included two first-round picks. The deal came after the two sides were unable to bridge a vast gap in initial offers made before the start of the new league year in March, with Mack willing to extend his holdout until the new deal came.
“My whole thought process was how to get Khalil in here,” McKenzie said. “Absolutely, it was here at the end, it was in the final hour that it kind of just hit and it hit hard and heavy. It was not the plan to trade him at all.”
Oakland will get firstround selections in 2019 and 2020, a sixth-rounder next year and a third-rounder in 2020. Oakland also included its second-round selection in 2020 and a conditional fifth-rounder that year.
It’s a steep price but Mack is one of the game’s top defensive players. The move came as a bit of a shock to some of Mack’s former teammates.
Carr tweeted “No way” and added: “#RaiderNation we feel your pain trust me but we need you next Monday night!”