OAKLAND, CA – SEPTEMBER 17: Khalil Mack #52 of the Oakland Raiders matches up against Brandon Shell #72 of the New York Jets at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on September 17, 2017 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
Khalil Mack has the ability to transform the Jets defense. That’s why Mike Maccagnan and company need to offer up a first round pick to the Raiders.
Earlier this week the Jets were strongly considering making a trade offer to bring Dante Fowler to the Big Apple. Now the organization has decided to go after an even bigger fish. Adding Khalil Mack to the Jets defense could take the unit from good to great.
Reports emanating from New York claim the Jets have already called the Raiders to register their interest in the All-Pro defender. No firm offer has been made as of yet, but the Jets front office should fix that immediately. Mack has the ability to transform their entire defense.
The Raiders haven’t fully committed to the idea of trading Mack yet, but the organization is clearly perturbed by his decision to hold out for a new contract. Various reports claim the edge rusher is looking to earn more than $20 million per season moving forward. At least to date, Jon Gruden and Reggie McKenzie have refused to seriously considering making that kind of offer. Plenty of other teams will be happy to may Mack the type of money he’s looking for.
The Jets are clearly willing to take a gamble on handing Mack a big deal. They aren’t going to give up serious assets to trade for him unless they are intent on locking him up for the long haul. The fact that Sam Darnold is going to man the quarterback position on a rookie contract will give the Jets the type of salary flexibility to pay a star at another position the sort of money usually reserved for big time signal callers.
Obviously, the Raiders aren’t going to give a transcendent talent like Mack away for free. It’s going to cost the Jets to acquire him. Maccagnan shouldn’t hesitate to make a strong offer. He should be willing to put a first round pick on the table. That’s the only asset that will be appealing enough to really bring the Raiders to the negotiating table. If New York isn’t willing to offer a first rounder, they’ll lose out to a team that will.
Fortune favors the bold in the NFL and it’s time for the Jets to embody that sort of philosophy. Opportunities to acquire a player like Mack don’t come along very often. The Jets need to offer a first round pick and a mountain of cash to make this deal happen. If they don’t, they’ll miss a golden opportunity to fix their defense’s biggest weakness.