Eric Galko of Optimum Scouting reported Thursday morning that the New York Giants are among the teams interested in trading for Oakland Raiders All-Pro linebacker Khalil Mack. #Raiders have put Khalil Mack on the trade block. #Jets, #Packers #Giants (among others) are interested. @JuMosq examines why Oakland’s in this position, where he’ll end up, and how gambling lines play into it all $$$:https://t.co/g3AB7sYHxs pic.twitter.com/gBwv5NOJMj — Eric Galko (@OptimumScouting) August 23, 2018 There were fears about the Giants’ linebacker position as they transitioned from a defense based in the 4-3 front to one based in a 3-4 front. Through training camp and a pair of preseason games, those fears have largely been assuaged. The Giants’ defensive front proving dominant against the run and much more adept at rushing the passer than many assumed it would be. But, in the words of former Giants’ general manager Ernie Accorsi — who both trained Dave Gettleman and lead the process which resulted in his hiring — “You can never have too many pass rushers.” Mack is apparently disgruntled in Oakland, and there seems to be little dialogue between his team and the front office. If a deal isn’t going to get done, it makes sense that Oakland would put him on the trade block to get something other than an eventual compensatory pick for him. Raptor’s thoughts Of course the Giants are interested. Why would any team besides the Denver Broncos (who boast Von Miller, Shane Ray, and Bradley Chubb) NOT want to try to make room for Mack? (Oh, and the Oakland Raiders, apparently) Frankly, Mack would instantly become the best Giants’ linebacker since the retirement of Lawrence Taylor. Even trading away picks in a draft class that looks to be absolutely stacked with pass rushers, adding a guy like Khalil Mack is tough to argue against. However, there are a few problems that stand in the way if the Giants truly want to add Mack and aren’t just kicking the tires. First and foremost, Mack wants to get PAID, which is why he and Oakland are at an impasse. As it stands now, the Giants might not have enough money to get through the season if they have to replace the normal number of players who land on the injured reserve. Secondly, it is difficult to see a future in which the Giants can find the cap room to add Mack (with the contract he deserves) while retaining Eli Manning and giving Odell Beckham Jr. and Landon Collins the extensions they have just as obviously earned. So, of course the Giants are interested in trading for Mack. But if they do, it will be expensive in more ways than one — it will need to include a considerable package of picks in return, and a massive contract to keep him on the team. Also the Giants will need some incredible (and incredibly unlikely) consideration from veterans like Manning, Damon Harrison, Olivier Vernon, and Janoris Jenkins with regards to their own contracts in order to add Mack while retaining Beckham and Collins. But, for the moment, we can dream about what a team with Beckham, Evan Engram, Saquon Barkley, Damon Harrison, Olivier Vernon, Janoris Jenkins, Landon Collins, and Khalil Mack on it could do when the games matter.<doc-sep>Mitchell Leff/Getty Images The end of Oakland Raiders defensive end Khalil Mack’s holdout is reportedly nowhere in sight. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reported he asked about Mack's situation and was "told there is no progress. No optimism. No communication. And so, the holdout continues." Mack is set to play on the fifth-year option of his rookie contract and would become an unrestricted free agent in 2019 with his current deal, per Spotrac. This comes after Adam Schefter of ESPN reported on Thursday that Raiders head coach Jon Gruden hasn't spoken with Mack since he was hired into his position this offseason. However, the coach said otherwise during an interview with JT The Brick of Fox Sports Radio (h/t John Breech of CBS Sports). "I did speak with him when I got the job," Gruden said. "When I first got hired, I spoke with him." Gruden acknowledged he hasn't recently spoken with Mack. "He's been a hard guy to get in contact with lately, for obvious reasons," Gruden said. "This is a great football player—not only that, he's a great guy. And everybody on our team respects him and loves him. We hope to get him in here soon." The Athletic's John Middlekauff added some context to the negotiations, noting things between Mack's side and the team have grown "ugly" and "tense." Video Play Button Videos you might like Mack has played like someone worthy of a raise since the Raiders selected him with the No. 5 overall pick in the 2014 draft out of Buffalo. He quickly established himself as a defensive stalwart in Oakland's front seven and is yet to miss a game. He was named the 2016 Defensive Player of the Year, is a two-time First Team All-Pro selection and was a Pro Bowler in each of the last three campaigns. He has already tallied 40.5 sacks in his career and reached double-digit sacks in each of those Pro Bowl seasons. Mack is one of the elite pass-rushers in the entire league and wants to be paid accordingly, but progress has apparently stalled.<doc-sep>Green Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst has repeatedly said he’d look at “every avenue” to make his team better. Well, a rumor popping up Wednesday suggests he’s looking to trade receiver Randall Cobb. According to Mike Lombardi of The Ringer, the Packers might be looking to move Cobb, the veteran slot receiver who is entering the final year of his four-year, $40 million deal. “I know (Cobb’s) being shopped around,” Lombardi said on his podcast, GM Street, via Rotoworld Football. Report: Packers have shopped Randall Cobb https://t.co/JfHPiNmSfg — Rotoworld Football (@Rotoworld_FB) August 22, 2018 The rumor comes as a surprise given the dearth of veteran front-line starters at the wide receiver position. Outside of Cobb and Davante Adams, the only Packers receiver with any significant playing time is third-year undrafted free agent Geronimo Allison. Moving Cobb would clear nearly $9.5 million off the Packers’ books, but they’d be operating without much experience at the position. As of right now, Cobb figures to be the predominant slot receiver in the Packers offense, so it’s a bit of a head-scratcher what the Packers are thinking – or what they’re planning. If they are indeed trying to move Cobb, there are a few plausible reasons why. The first is that they believe they can get the same production from Cobb’s position with what they have behind him. Equanimeous St. Brown has played extensively in the slot this camp and looked quite good doing so. Jake Kumerow, for his part, has made keeping seven wide receivers a serious proposition. Moving on from Cobb would render the Kumerow decision a non-issue. The Packers could cut someone like fourth-round pick J’Mon Moore, who’s had significant drop issues in camp, but his ceiling is too high to think he’d clear waivers (and it’s no guarantee he would re-sign with the Packers practice squad in the event he does clear waivers). Another plausible reason – which seems out of sync with the general flow of NFL calendar – is that the team is trying to front-load Rodgers’ new extension and, in combination with Jimmy Graham, Adams, the rookies and, say, Kumerow, let Rodgers make it work sans Cobb. The last reason, which happens to be the least-plausible, yet most-exciting, is that they’re trying to clear space to trade and sign Raiders edge rusher Khalil Mack. The Packers currently have about $5.7 million in cap space for the 2018 season. Mack is due nearly $14 million. If the Packers acquire Mack, they’d have to find around $8.3 million in space. Trading (or cutting) Cobb would give them that space. Cobb, 28, still has gas left in the tank and, after having recovered from offseason ankle surgery, has looked a little more spry in camp. One other item of note is that when the Packers made their decisions at receiver offseason, the time in which teams usually balance their sheets and release veteran players to clear space, the market at the position had not yet materialized. Once it did, the market, perhaps inflated by a perceived weak receiver class, exploded. Jarvis Landry, who profiles similar to Cobb, signed with the Cleveland Browns for an average annual salary of $15 million. Sammy Watkins and Allen Robinson, the top two free agents in this year’s market by dollars, signed contracts averaging $16 and $14 million, respectively. Cobb’s $9.5 million is a veritable bargain for teams looking for a one-year patch. It’s only a rumor, but it’s safe to say the Packers are constantly on the lookout to improve their roster, both short term and long term.<doc-sep>
White Sox: Why you should be excited about the 2019 MLB Schedule by Sam Fels So many Chicago Bears rumors have been flying around for over a month now, but a recent report suggests that the interest is as real as ever for Khalil Mack. It is no secret that the Chicago Bears are hurting in the pass rush department. The only guy who is a legitimate threat at the position, Leonard Floyd, is hurt right now and recovering from hand surgery. It has been about a month now that Oakland Raiders pass rusher Khalil Mack has been tied to a few rumors, but Thursday, they grew even more. Now, don’t go and get all upset about the recent report. I am simply writing the facts. The report was indeed from NFL Insider Jason La Canfora, who went on CBS Sports HQ today to say the following: “There’s at least a half dozen teams who have done their own internal due diligence on Khalil Mack … who have started to calibrate what they’d be willing to give up … both in terms of draft pick compensation and/or maybe players … and then obviously what they’d be willing to pay him.” La Canfora even went on to talk about which teams were reportedly interested in the former Defensive Player of the Year: “The New York Jets, the Indianapolis Colts, Green Bay Packers, Chicago Bears … those are the teams I’m continually hearing tied to Khalil Mack…” If the Bears were truly one of the teams interested, I would say Ryan Pace needs to pick up the phone now and make something happen before another team — like Green Bay — makes the first move. The worst-case scenario for the Bears is if the Packers make the first move and are able to land Mack. If he goes elsewhere, there’s not much of a direct impact on the Bears. Pace should do whatever it takes to land this guy, because he immediately brings that defense automatically into the upper echelon of defenses in all of football. Mack is unhappy. The Bears still have plenty of cap room to work with, should they decide to pursue Mack, and could likely extend him for the money he wants. If the Bears want to shore up that pass rush filled with a bunch of question marks and young, unproven guys, Mack makes a whole lot of sense right now. Mr. Pace, if you’re paying any attention to what the fans are dying for right now, go out and make that move happen. Get it done, and get this team into playoff contention.