INDIANAPOLIS — The thinking behind trading Khalil Mack, it seemed, was the Bears’ first-round draft picks. In their first year under Matt Nagy, and coming off a 5-11 season, their 2019 first-rounder figured to come sooner than that of another interested team, the Rams.
The Bears’ pick, though, landed 24th overall. Thursday at the NFL Scouting Combine, Raiders coach Jon Gruden was asked if that pick changed how he viewed the trade.
“No — It just doesn’t,” he said. “We have no control over what happens really other than what we do with the pick.”
Later, though, Gruden showed frustration with more Mack questions. In a side session with local writers, he was asked a question that prefaced the trade as unpopular.
“I get tired of you bringing that up — Khalil Mack,” Gruden told the local contingent. “We made the trade for a lot of reasons. Whether it’s popular or not, we did what we had to do in that situation. For the fans that aren’t happy, we’re really sorry about that. We really are truly sorry. And I’m sorry.”
He went on to answer the question, about moving beyond the trade.
“It’s hard to replace a guy like that,” Gruden said. “It’s sensitive. I’m sensitive about it. I’m happy for Mack. I’m really thrilled for him and his future and all of that. He’s a hard guy to replace, and we’ll do everything we can. But I do know this: My brother (Redskins head coach Jay Gruden) didn’t get anything for Kirk Cousins except a compensatory pick.
“At least we got some picks, and we have a chance to do something with them.”
Cousins, a quarterback, left the Redskins last offseason via free agency.
