Green Bay Packers: 3 possible trades to acquire Khalil Mack
By Joe Kipp
Khalil Mack was recently rumored to be on the trade block by ESPN’s Paul Gutierrez. What would it take for the Green Bay Packers to acquire the star pass rusher?
Khalil Mack is one of the most-talented pass rushers of the past decade. Having been drafted in 2014, Mack has already been named a three-time Pro Bowler, three-time First-Team All-Pro and once the defensive player of the year. He’s also the only player in NFL history to be named a First-Team All-Pro at two positions in the same season (defensive end and outside linebacker). Needless to say, he’s one of the top five edge rushers in the game.
But this offseason it appears Mack is unhappy with his current contract. In fact, since the Oakland Raiders acquired Jon Gruden as their new head coach in January, Mack and Gruden have yet to even speak to each other, according to Adam Schefter. Gruden has since denied that claim.
Whether or not the two have spoken to each other is a separate issue, since Mack’s contract remains the main concern among Raiders fans. Mack, whose scheduled to make $13,849,000 under his fifth-year option this season, did not report to any of the offseason activities and has yet to report to training camp.
If Oakland doesn’t play its cards right, Mack may be on his way out soon. According to ESPN reporter Paul Gutierrez, Mack is one of the hottest names on the trade block right now. Because Mack is on the last year of his rookie deal, it removes some of Oakland’s bargaining power. Not many teams want to trade for a player on the last year of their deal, especially one who would command the largest contract in NFL history for a defensive end.
However, it still presents an excellent opportunity for many teams to pounce on a generational pass rusher. For the Green Bay Packers, the idea of having Mack may seem like a shot in the dark. However, the NFL has seen crazier things before, and Green Bay has a new general manager in Brian Gutekunst, whose already shown a willingness to acquire outside pieces.
In fact, when Gutekunst was asked at his presser on Tuesday about a potential trade for Mack, he said he’s always ‘open to conversations’ about making trades. With that in mind, here are three possible trades the Packers could attempt to acquire Mack’s services.