An 0-2 Raiders start, and a monster first half with his new team (which included a forced fumble, fumble recovery, sack, interception, and touchdown) hasn't changed Jon Gruden's mind about trading Khalil Mack to the Bears for a pair of first round picks.
The old/new Raiders coach stuck by his decision to part ways with the formerly disgruntled linebacker following a Week 2 performance (which ultimately culminated in a one-point loss) where Oakland only sacked Broncos quarterback Case Keenum one time in 35 dropbacks. Gruden stuck to his guns by implying the team didn't think they could keep Mack anyway.
“No, [Sunday's loss] doesn’t make me regret making the decision,” he said. “We made the trade. We made the trade. There’s going to be hindsight and all that stuff. We would have loved to have had him here but he’s not here. I’m not going to rehash this.”
Gruden also added "Hopefully we prove that in the long run we did the right thing."
Having to be the public face of this is why they pay him the big bucks. For $10 million a year (or whatever it is) you could annoy the shit out of us by asking the same thing every week too.
Related Stories
Raiders Coach Jon Gruden on Khalil Mack Trade: He 'Didn't Want to Play Here'
“Obviously, Khalil Mack didn’t want to play here. That’s what’s being missed here," Gruden said.
Khalil Mack Traded to Chicago Bears for Two First-Round Draft Picks (UPDATE)
Khalil Mack might have been the Oakland Raiders' fifth overall pick in the 2014 draft, but it's starting to sound as if his time with the team is coming to an end.
People Can't Believe How Much the Raiders Just Agreed to Pay Jon Gruden to Be Their Coach
Jon Gruden and the Raiders reportedly agreed to a 10-year, $100 million deal.
