Khalil Mack to Chargers adds to rivalry vs. Raiders
The four teams within the AFC West all consider each other to be bitter rivals, and they are considering the rich history of the division. The Chargers and Raiders have recently amped up their rivalry, but it has escalated in 2022 with a familiar face joining the Chargers.
Since the infamous trade in 2018 when the “Oakland” Raiders star edge rusher, Khalil Mack, was traded to the Bears for a substantial amount of draft picks there have always been whispers of a return in the future.
Not only for the fans’ sake but for current Quarterback Derek Carr who at that time described his feelings for Mack;
"“I love him to death. He knows that. It’s not secret, everyone knows how close we are. That’s not hidden anyway. Not only is he one of the best players living in the world today, he’s one of the best people and when that trade happened it broke my heart.”"
Prior to the trade the Raiders, Carr and Mack, in particular, enjoyed a rise to success after they were both selected in the 2014 NFL Draft. Within two seasons the Raiders went from a 3-13 record and last in the AFC West to achieving a record of 12-4 and 2nd in the AFC West with a trip to the playoffs.
The success did not last long and it all came to an end in 2018 when Khalil Mack held out and was ultimately traded to Chicago.
Carr and Mack met twice since their split where they finished 1-1 with the Raiders beating the Bears overseas in London followed by the Raiders losing to the arguably weaker Bears in Week 5 after news of the Gruden emails broke out.
Mack has indeed made his return to the AFC West however he is coming back to lock in with the Los Angeles Chargers, much to the dismay of Raiders fans. Many believed if Mack ever returned now would be the time with the absence of former Coach Jon Gruden who reportedly supported the trade to the Bears in 2018 after contract negotiations fell apart.
Mack now joins a defensive line in LA with star rusher Joey Bosa who also has his own issues with Derek Carr.
After a win over the Raiders in 2021 Bosa proclaimed that “we knew once we hit him a few times, he really gets shook.” Even if that is the case Carr got his revenge in Week 18 where a tie would’ve sent both the Raiders and Chargers to the playoffs.
Instead, both teams battled until they landed in overtime and Carr called a timeout just in time for kicker Daniel Carlson to seal the win with a field goal. The image of Carr smiling and calling the timeout is one that Chargers fans will not forget anytime soon.
Bosa sparked a new rivalry between the two of them, only adding to the heat and friction between Chargers and Raiders fans. Now with Khalil Mack joining Bosa to torment Carr and the rest of the AFC West quarterbacks, the blood is really flowing between the teams and their respective fan bases.
As of 2022, we have only seen Mack and Carr face off twice, now we will see them go after it twice a year for the next three seasons. Will the two remain friends and exchange friendly jousting during the game or will it turn into a bitter rivalry that we are currently seeing with Bosa and Carr?
Either way, Raiders and Chargers fans will be tuned in to see former teammates and (current?) best friends battle it out when the season kicks off in September.