popslot Oakland Raiders head coach Jon Gruden says he tried his best to retain star defensive end Khalil Mack, but the player was not willing to give up even after being traded to the Chicago Bears.
Mack entered his final rookie option with the Raiders, seeking a lucrative long-term contract, but the Pirates were unable to meet it and traded him to Soldier Field for a six-year, $141 million deal (an average of $23.5 million per year). popslot
“We made him an offer, but I don’t think it was close to what the Bears could offer, and Chicago offered a deal that was too good to refuse,” Gruden told reporters Sunday.
The deal was struck over the weekend, and in addition to the 27-year-old, the Bears are also getting a second-round draft pick and a fifth-round draft pick in 2020 in exchange for two future first-round draft picks, a sixth-round draft pick in 2019 and a third-round draft pick in 2020.
“The organization waited until the end, almost to the season opener against the LA Rams, but in the end they had to let him go. The feeling right now is hard to describe … Actually, we could have waited, we could have franchise tagged him next year, we could have forced him to play, but what the team chose to do was to make a decisive decision to part ways, so we have to accept the consequences.”
When Mack moved out of the Raiders’ 4-3 defense, Bruce Irvin was moved from right to left defensive end and Tank Carradine was moved to the right. ( popslot )
