The Khalil Mack situation in Oakland continues to drag on, with the former Defensive Player of the Year remaining out of Raiders camp and Jon Gruden showing no signs of bridging the gap to bring him in and get him a new contract. Gruden's even pointed out the defense was bad WITH Mack, which isn't inaccurate, but probably won't heal any wounds either.
Maybe an Aaron Donald deal -- expected to be done in the very near future -- sets the stage for a Mack contract. Or maybe this thing just gets resolved via a trade. CBS Sports' Joel Corry broke down how a trade could work in terms of logistics and compensation, and also listed a group of suitors for the former first-round pick.
But let's take a deeper-dive look into one of those, the New York Jets.
CBS Sports NFL Insider Jason La Canfora noted on the Pick Six Podcast this week, while hyping up the Jets, he believes the Jets make a perfect trading partner because their one huge need is an edge rusher. Mack: pretty good off the edge and now available.
"I was telling those guys to trade for Khalil Mack. Just do it, man. You've got the QB cheap for five years. Do it. Trade a one, a three and one of your young, cheap receivers," La Canfora said. "You've got to give to get. Look at what Gruden's got over there: he's got Jordy Nelson, he's got [Martavis] Bryant, who's not even on the field, they've got Amari Cooper, but they've got to pay him major, major money in another year, and guess what, he's got the same money as Khalil Mack, so have fun with that one."
All great points! Worth noting JLC also said the Jets guys he was speaking with sort of balked at the idea of trading one of those wide receivers
On the quarterback thing, this is how teams are operating in the modern NFL. We talk about "who is the 2018 Rams or 2018 Eagles?" and there are lots of great choices, but it has to be a team with a young quarterback on a rookie contract. The Seahawks made a run over a lengthy period because Russell Wilson was dirt cheap. L.A. and Philly can pile up talent in other positions because their budgetary needs are minimized at the most important spot, thanks to landing a young, stud QB who can't renegotiate for at least three years.
The Jets are in that position with Sam Darnold. Taken No. 3 overall, his cap hit is slated to be less than $10 million from now through 2021. It's the best possible window to make a run, and it happens to coincide with the theoretical timeframe for Tom Brady and the Patriots wrapping up their dynastic run. Brady might end up playing three more years (four??) but the Jets should be able to compete with the Patriots if they can make a few additions.
La Canfora loves the wide receiver group, calling them potentially "truly special," especially when their cost for 2018 is factored in. They added Avery Williamson and Trumaine Johnson in free agency, giving them a pretty spicy little secondary headlined by Jamal Adams and Marcus Maye, their first- and second-round picks from last year.
In addition to the wiggle room that Darnold's contract gives them, the Jets are loaded with cap space in 2019. They have, as Corry noted, "the league's fewest 2019 cap commitments at just under $109 million." Having piles of cap space is key to landing Mack, who most assuredly will want a new deal with whoever trades for him. (Imagine him holding out in Oakland and then just showing up to see his hypothetical new team. Not very likely.)
The only downside here would be the compensation involved. The Raiders almost assuredly will require a first-round pick, and likely one in the 2019 season. That would leave the Jets, who dealt next year's second-round pick to the Colts in order to move up and land Darnold, without a pick in the first two rounds next year.
It's a risky proposition for a team expected to win only six games by Las Vegas. Even with Mack on the roster, they're likely starting a rookie quarterback all season long. If things go south, the Jets could be handing over two picks in the top 40 of the draft, much like what the Texans did to the Browns this year. The NFL is wildly volatile and gambling with high future draft picks can result in being burned, considering the value of those assets (young players on cheap contracts).
But as good as a young player on a cheap contract can be, the odds of getting a Khalil Mack-type impact defender in the first or second round of the 2019 NFL Draft, for a team who badly needs help on the edge, is pretty unlikely. Ed Oliver is the top prospect in college football right now -- he declared for next year's draft before LAST year's draft! -- but he's still far from a sure thing and has to navigate an entire season of college football injury free with Heisman pressure.
Mack is a proven commodity and only requires top of the line dollars to show up and dominate. He's a force who can rush on the edge and bust up the interior if you need him to slide inside. He's one of the top five defensive linemen in football. That's valuable too.
He would have an instant impact on the Jets and quickly vault them into the second-place spot in the AFC East. It's a gamble for the Jets and it requires jumping through some hoops and spending some money, but it would be a worthwhile risk to take, especially given Mack's ability to improve the Jets 2018 chances, which would go a long way to securing the job security of Todd Bowles and Mike Maccagnan.
