Bears get Mack

[run pMc]

From the stories I read, the Packers were in the running as a serious player.

I think Green Bay probably didn't like trading away all those picks PLUS having to shell out all that dough in guarantees to Rodgers AND Mack. $150-200 million in guarantees to two players? Ouch.

If Trebisky (sp?) busts that's going to very good for the Raiders (and Packers). Seems risky to me.
I'm hoping Gute drafts are more like early-era Ted than late-era Ted...then those R1 picks might turn into players. Next year's draft is allegedly a better one for edge rushers; we'll see what happens.

[run pMc]

I also think if Gruden has final say on personnel he's going to gut that team's talent and take them all the way to 0-16. Trusting him with drafting (or developing) players is laughable.

[3irty1]

I don't put a lot stock in the notion that Mack is in some way disposable because he failed to make the Raiders defense not suck. Defenses can be worse and maybe even far worse than the sum of their parts. All this proves is that Mack isn't a one-man-defense.

That said I'm slightly relieved that the Packers didn't pay the ransom in order to pay the 2nd ransom it would have required to put Mack in Green and Gold. I'm not sure there are any defensive players in the league that are worth this new upper tier of contracts. Even if the players age well it doesn't seem so likely that the contracts will. It also seems clear to me that Packer fans have come to vastly underestimate the value of a first round pick. The "I'd trade any 2 of our picks since Rodgers for Mack in a heartbeat" thinking is understandable, but an abortion of logic on a few levels. Would you trade 2 at random first round selections that included the possibility of Rodgers? Because he's no less of a first round pick. The Packers' pattern of bad decision making and/or bad luck in using these first round picks is also not an indicator of their value or future success. By this logic, 2nd round picks are better than 1st round picks because the Packers have more consistently been successful there. Clearly not true. Most importantly, these 1st round picks are the great value hack of the NFL, especially since the new CBA in 2011. It's actually shocking that more rookies don't hold out like Mack did. 1st round rookie contracts are the sole way to get a starter, and maybe even a star, at far less than market value for five years. Yes every team should be aware of every opportunity through every avenue of player acquisition, but if we are being honest it doesn't matter how you do in those other avenues if you draft poorly.

[Teamcheez1]

I would love to have Mack, but definitely agree with your logic. If Gute drafts well, we could be looking at our next OLB and OL stars on this team, not to mention the fact he will have money to work with in free agency next year.

[Rutnstrut]

I wanted GB to get Mack and I wanted him pretty badly. Not so much because I believe he is the greatest ever. But because imo it would show that they are finally willing to do something than hope AR can carry the mediocre team to the Superb Owl. That said, I wouldn't be totally shocked if Mack was Albert Haynesworth 2.0.

[pbmax]

Demovsky says the Packers did not offer both the 2019 first round picks.

Gutekunst wasn't willing to part with both of his 2019 first-round picks to try to acquire stud pass rusher Khalil Mack in a trade with the Oakland Raiders. A source told ESPN.com that Gutekunst would not include both of those selections in his offer to Raiders GM Reggie McKenzie, Gutekunst's former co-worker in Green Bay.

http://www.espn.com/blog/green-bay-packers/post/_/id/45595/packers-gm-here-to-win-and-win-now-even-without-khalil-mack

[Zool]

Gudt. He does have a brain.

[run pMc]

Pairing Mack with Roqaun and Floyd will make that a tough front 7 defense. I wonder how that contract will look in 3 years time though -- will his body hold up? For comparison -- Clay is a shell of himself. It's a position with a lot of hitting, not like where QBs are protected enough to be productive into their late 30's. He hasn't missed a game yet, so maybe it's not an issue. You never know with guys who holdout though.

I'm with 3irty1 on this, our R1 picks have been undervalued by some because they've been largely underwhelming players. I'd like to see Gute do better than Ted did with finding good players with those picks.

[hoosier]

Demovsky says the Packers did not offer both the 2019 first round picks.



http://www.espn.com/blog/green-bay-p...ut-khalil-mack

The new guy at JSO reports that Gute might have given Reggie the ok to tell the Bears he was offering both 1's...to jack the price a little.

[KYPack]

The new guy at JSO reports that Gute might have given Reggie the ok to tell the Bears he was offering both 1's...to jack the price a little.

Was wondering along those same lines. Use the old "Packer pipeline" to make the Bears go full measure.

The NFL has created a Frankenstein monster with the present CBA.

If you are in position contractually, the right move is to hold out for the whole pre-season.

The NFL might not care. The hold-outs create a ton of interest for the media.

That's the whole goal, eh?

[hoosier]

List of NFL players who have been traded for two first round draft picks. While I don't have time to look up what those picks turned into, I count one trade that actually transformed the team giving up the draft picks (Jim "Chris" Everett) and several that backfired in a major way. With the exception of Fredd Young (and Cornelius Bennett, who doesn't count because he hadn't yet played in the NFL), traded players have all been on the offensive side of the ball. Can a 27-year old defensive lineman/linebacker be expected to hold up better than, say, a 27-year old running back (Dickerson)?

Jim Everett: Houston to Rams (1986)
Eric Dickerson: Rams to Colts (1987)*
Fredd Young: Seahawks to Colts (1988)
Hershel Walker: Dallas to Vikings for three first-rounders (1989)
Jeff George: Colts to Atlanta (1994)
Keyshawn Johnson: Jets to Tampa (2000)
Ricky Williams: Saints to Phins (2002)
Jay Cutler: Broncos to Bears (2009)


* This was a weird one pulled off by a young Jim Irsay. First he traded the recently drafted Cornelius Bennett (who had yet to sign with Indy) to Buffalo for Greg Bell, two first rounders (1988 and '89) and a 1988 second round pick. Colts then sent all three Buffalo draft picks plus their own 1988 first and second round picks and 1989 second rounder and Owen Gill in exchange for Dickerson. That's three first round and three second round picks. The Colts were never the same again, and Irsay got an early start on his drug-addled imitation of a general manager. The next year he would trade two additional first rounders for Fredd Young, a pro bowl linebacker who had been displaced by Brian Bosworth. The ghost of George Allen would seem to get around.

[ThunderDan]

* This was a weird one pulled off by a young Jim Irsay. First he traded the recently drafted Cornelius Bennett (who had yet to sign with Indy) to Buffalo for Greg Bell, two first rounders (1988 and '89) and a 1988 second round pick. Colts then sent all three Buffalo draft picks plus their own 1988 first and second round picks and 1989 second rounder and Owen Gill in exchange for Dickerson. That's three first round and three second round picks. The Colts were never the same again, and Irsay got an early start on his drug-addled imitation of a general manager. The next year he would trade two additional first rounders for Fredd Young, a pro bowl linebacker who had been displaced by Brian Bosworth. The ghost of George Allen would seem to get around.

Fans want action by their GM to "know" they are helping the team. A lot of the time the big deals cripple the franchise.

[gbgary]

Packers choked at the free-throw line here.

[hoosier]

Packers choked at the free-throw line here.

If what Reggie said in public is to be believed, two first rounders from Green Bay would not have swung it. Reggie was looking for high first rounders. So how much extra would Gute have had to add to match the estimated value of the Bears offer? An extra 2? A 2 and a 3? At some point you are going to see salary cap constraints and loss of draft picks translate into a Browns-like roster with ARod and Mack thrown in.

[run pMc]

If what Reggie said in public is to be believed, two first rounders from Green Bay would not have swung it. Reggie was looking for high first rounders. So how much extra would Gute have had to add to match the estimated value of the Bears offer? An extra 2? A 2 and a 3? At some point you are going to see salary cap constraints and loss of draft picks translate into a Browns-like roster with ARod and Mack thrown in.

Yup. You end up with 2 players making up a quarter of your cap, about 8 mid-tier guys, and a bunch of no-names on rookie contracts. Plus you don't have high round picks to get talented no-names, and if you do, it's a struggle to fit them under the cap.

Edit: I have to admit, the scenario I just described with no-names seems to have been how Ted approached the cap and roster, but Gute has clearly shaken that up with signing guys like Graham and Wilkerson.