Raiders fans are still crying into their face paint after the Raiders shipped 2016 Defensive Player of the Year Khalil Mack and a second round pick to the Bears for 2 first round picks. New face of the franchise Jon Gruden took the podium last night to face the fire and attempt to explain why he agreed to ship a potential future Hall of Famer for picks.
Gruden explained that the salary cap played a huge part in the decision to trade Mack, and ultimately they weren’t willing to break the bank after already breaking off Derek Carr with a new deal. He pointed out that other teams that have signed defensive players to massive contracts, like the Rams and Aaron Donald, or the Bears, have QB’s that are still under their rookie deals.
Gruden may have a point, but it probably won’t win over the fan base who can’t get over shipping a franchise player out of town for first draft picks.