Chargers News: Khalil Mack Reflects on First Trade Experience From LA's Division Rival
Khalil Mack has been one of the best players in his position since entering the NFL in 2014.
Being the 5th overall pick by the then Oakland Raiders, Mack exploded onto the scene at linebacker, being 3rd in Defensive Rookie of the Year voting.
He followed up that season with three years that put him as the top edge rusher in football.
36.5 sacks, 228 tackles, eight forced fumbles, 3 Pro Bowls, 2 First-Team All-Pros, and a Defensive Player of the Year award. Mack was on top. But after 2017, he was traded, and in a recent interview, Mack reflects on that 2017 offseason.
The Raiders went 12-4 in 2016, but after a disappointing 2017 season that saw the Raiders win six games, the team's head coach, Jack Del Rio, was fired.
John Gruden was brought back to the Raiders after being their head coach from 1998-2001.
Gruden immediately started selling house and made it public that Khalil Mack, the top defensive player in the NFL, was on the trade block.
Teams all around the league offered trades to try and get this superstar on the team since it is rare for a 1st round pick with that much already accomplished to move on before at least five years with the team that drafted him.
The Chicago Bears was the team that landed him after trading two first-round picks to secure Mack in Chicago.
Mack came to Chicago and immediately signed the contract he deserved, signing a 6-year deal for $141 million.
In the interview, Mack said that Chicago was supposed to be the worst option, but Mack helped that team prove Gruden and the Raiders wrong, going 12-4 in 2018 while the Raiders went 4-12.
Mack is now with the Chargers after being traded for a 2nd and 6th-round pick after Mack's last injury-riddled season in Chicago.
In 2022, Mack played all 17 games, recording eight sacks and earning his 7th career Pro Bowl. The now-aged veteran will look to help a Chargers roster win the AFC West this year and make a run in the playoffs.
