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Why the Redskins shouldn’t trade for Khalil Mack if the Raiders do move him

By Jacob Camenker

DENVER, CO - OCTOBER 1: Quarterback Trevor Siemian #13 of the Denver Broncos is sacked by defensive end Khalil Mack #52 of the Oakland Raiders in the first quarter of a game at Sports Authority Field at Mile High on October 1, 2017 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images)
DENVER, CO - OCTOBER 1: Quarterback Trevor Siemian #13 of the Denver Broncos is sacked by defensive end Khalil Mack #52 of the Oakland Raiders in the first quarter of a game at Sports Authority Field at Mile High on October 1, 2017 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images) /
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Khalil Mack has been rumored to be available amid a holdout with the Oakland Raiders. While a trade between the Gruden brothers would be interesting, Mack just isn’t a long-term fit with the team.

There has been a lot of buzz lately regarding Raiders star edge rusher Khalil Mack. Mack wants a new contract from the Raiders who haven’t been willing to budge in negotiations with the star player. This saga could drag on, and that has prompted speculation that Mack might get traded to another team.

I know what you’re thinking. Mack is one of the best defensive players in the league. Jon Gruden is coaching in Oakland and Jay Gruden is in Washington. Could a trade make sense between the two of them? Well, in theory, anything is possible. But if Mack is traded, there are simply too many potential hurdles for the Redskins to clear in order to make the transaction worthwhile.

The first problem derives from the fact that the Redskins would probably need to surrender a lot to get Mack. While Mack is holding out which takes away some of the leverage from the Raiders, they won’t take a low-ball offer. It’s likely that the team will want one or more first-round picks for Mack. Or, a first round pick and an established starter too. For example, a trade of a future first rounder and Preston Smith to get Mack might be appealing to some on paper. But, there would be issues associated with that, which gets into the second problem.

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Even if the team did trade for Mack, there is no guarantee that he would re-sign with the team. And the cost of a solid starter and a first round pick is a hefty price that type of guy. You could include a stipulation that dictates Mack must re-sign with the team as part of the deal, but even that would cost a lot.

Mack is one of the league’s best pass rushers, and he will want a massive contract, much more than what Smith might demand with the Skins. Mack is probably looking to make close to Von Miller‘s $19 million figure (annually), if not more. Even if he came in at $17 million annually, that would be a massive amount of money to designate to a non-QB. And while Mack deserves that, it would negatively impact the Redskins in other areas.

The Redskins have three key deals to get done next offseason with Preston Smith and Jamison Crowder set to be free agents and Brandon Scherff due for an extension. They will be looking to re-sign all of them if possible, but it’s already going to be difficult to do. If Mack arrives, Smith would naturally not re-up with the Skins. However, Mack would eat into the team’s available cap space and that would make it difficult to retain Scherff and Crowder. As a result, Crowder would probably have to walk, and that wouldn’t be ideal for the Redskins as they would then be much thinner at receiver.

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In short, adding Mack just wouldn’t make much sense for the Redskins. They would have to surrender too many resources to make that happen, and they might end up hemorrhaging more talent than expected, especially given how stacked the 2019 NFL Draft figures to be. Washington is better off staying put unless they can get him for very cheap.

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