When the Raiders traded away Khalil Mack, there weren’t many fans of the move for Oakland. The Raiders traded away their best player for what would soon turn into a few late first-round draft picks. However, despite the early criticism, there were fans of the move, especially in the analytic community.
This week, the 2019 Sloan Sports Analytics Conference gave away an award for the best transaction in 2018. The winner? None other than the Oakland Raiders for moving Khalil Mack. If you are curious as to who else has won this award in the past, here are the last six winners via Vic Tafur of The Athletic:
2018: Houston Rockets: Chris Paul acquisition
2017: Golden State Warriors: Kevin Durant signing
2016: Leicester City: Acquisition of Claudio Ranieri and Robert Huth
2015: Los Angeles Kings: Acquisition of Marián Gáborík
2014: Boston Red Sox: Three-way trade for Jake Peavy
2013: Los Angeles Clippers: Trade for Chris Paul
It’s not hard to understand why the analytic support Jon Gruden’s move. Mack was set to become the highest-paid defender in NFL history and Oakland just didn’t feel the need to pay him that money.
Instead, they have reinvested that money into their offense, paying for Antonio Brown, Tyrell Williams, and Trent Brown. While they won’t be able to replace Mack’s production with one player, the team now has several draft assets to rebuild their defense at a fraction of the price.
While it’s unfair to judge the move even after one season, it does appear Oakland may have made the right decision. Ultimately, how they decide to use the picks and the cap space will determine their fate. But after Year 1, it’s hard to say Oakland was the “loser” in this trade.
