Nearly 21 months ago the Raiders stunned their fan base and the rest of the NFL by trading Khalil Mack to the Chicago Bears, a deal that had many people, including former Raiders star Charles Woodson, shaking their heads in disbelief.
The move was widely panned, and things didn’t get any better for Jon Gruden and company when Mack went out and had 12 ½ sacks in his first season with the Bears while the Raiders had only 13 sacks as a team.
At the time, it seemed a pretty clear-cut lopsided deal in Chicago’s favor.
“Who wins the Khalil Mack kind of derby between the Raiders and the Bears? There’s no question in my mind,” Hall of Famer and ESPN analyst Steve Young said a year ago. “There’s a visceral reaction to great defense in Chicago and he spoke to that. In many ways, the impact that Khalil Mack can have on a town and on a team, you saw it last year and you’re going to see it into the future. No question in my mind that the beneficiary here by far is the Chicago Bears over the Raiders.”
Fast forward to current times, however, and the deal doesn’t look as bad as maybe it once did.
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‘We have to be a much more detailed football team'
Like so many Raiders fans, coach Jon Gruden found himself searching for answers after the Raiders’ second-half collapse that cost the team a spot in the expanded playoffs.
WHAT THEY'RE SAYING
Starting Tackle Kolton Miller is entering the final year of his rookie contract.
Wanted: Defensive coordinator
The Raiders didn’t wait long to begin their search for a new defensive coordinator, and it’s becoming clear that Jon Gruden has already narrowed his list down.
Raiders' good, bad, ugly
Raiders’ good, bad, ugly
NEWS & NOTES
The Raiders had one of the easier schedules in 2020 and got only eight wins to show for it. Things won’t get any easier in 2021, either.
Looking back at 2020 season
The 2020 season will absolutely be remembered for being one of the strangest and most disappointing in franchise history.
Gruden feeling the heat?
“I know there is a big bull’s-eye on my chest, certainly. If the people want to use that as an incentive, then so be it. I worked for Al Davis in 1998. That was pressure. I was 34 years old. I’ve dealt with pressure before. I don’t really feel pressure. I love the excitement and thrill of competing, and I can’t worry about things I can’t control in that regard. I know people will want to step on me and beat me, and that is just the way this league is.”
From the SILVERANDBLACK.com Message Boards
S&BI continually scans the message boards across Raider Nation to see what Raider fans are talking about now that the 2020 season has ended for the Raiders. We chose some of the better posts and present them here.
Checklist for 2021
Now that the 2020 season has been put to rest for Las Vegas, the Raiders have shifted their focus to what figures to be a busy offseason as they prepare for 2021.
AFC WEST ROUNDUP
The Chargers fired coach Anthony Lynn after four seasons.
