Green Bay Packers: Khalil Mack trade a must if possible

The Green Bay Packers have the best odds to land Khalil Mack by the middle of the 2018 season, and a trade for the pass rusher is a must if it’s doable.

With long-time general manager Ted Thompson being relieved from the position, the Green Bay Packers took a new approach to the 2018 offseason. For years under the previous regime, they were known for not making many moves in free agency, much less making big moves. However, that changed with Brian Gutekunst taking the helm as the GM.

Of course, the prized acquisition for the Packers this offseason in free agency was tight end Jimmy Graham. With Jordy Nelson being cut, the hope is that the Green Bay offense — with the return of Aaron Rodgers, of course — will be just as dangerous in the red zone with the arrival of Graham. When it came to the draft though, Gutekunst was clearly focused on the defense, using their first and second round picks on cornerbacks, Jaire Alexander and Josh Jackson, respectively.

Now the new general manager in Green Bay has a chance to make another big splash and continue to help a defense that has ailed this franchise in recent years. Namely, he has a chance to go after edge rusher extraordinaire, Khalil Mack.

Mack, who has been one of the NFL’s elite pass rushers since being selected fifth-overall by the Oakland Raiders in 2014, has been looking for a new contract this offseason as he plays on his fifth-year option. However, reports as of late have indicated that talks between Mack and Oakland’s front office have not been going well. As such, the chatter of a potential trade has started to increase.

With the possibility that Mack could be traded, the idea of landing spots is the obvious next thought. And the Packers certainly would make sense. In fact, Green Bay is currently the odds-on favorite to land the services of the edge rusher by October 2018 (the time of the trade deadline) — yes, even better odds than the Raiders:

The fit of Mack on the Packers would make sense pretty obviously. Yes, Green Bay has Clay Matthews and Nick Perry still on the edge, but neither player can come close to providing what Mack can — particularly Matthews at this point in his career. Thus, adding Mack to this defense would immediately vault their pass rush to another level.

Working even more in Green Bay’s favor is the fact that they have capital to spend on a big-time trade such as this. The Packers not only have their own first-round pick in 2019, but also have the selection they acquired from the New Orleans Saints in the 2018 draft in the trade up for Marcus Davenport.

In truth, we don’t know what it would take to pry Mack away from Oakland as it’s all just speculation and rumors at this point. What’s more, given Mack’s desire for a new contract, the Packers would have to negotiate that with him prior to any trade coming to fruition. However, what we do know is that the Packers would be a fit for the star pass rusher and have the capital to send Oakland in a trade.

If there is interest on the part of Green Bay and the Raiders are indeed willing to make a trade happen, it’s a move the Packers need to make. Mack is a cornerstone for any defense and, as the Packers are always in the running for a title with Aaron Rodgers at the helm of the offense, a player that could vastly increase their chances at winning another Super Bowl.