While Raiders fans still gnash their teeth over the Khalil Mack and Amari Cooper trades that helped sink their team’s season, owner Mark Davis doesn’t regret them.
He’s also quick to identify the responsible party, and it’s an interesting revelation.
"It was all Reggie doing those deals," Davis told NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport earlier this week at the Winter League Meeting in Dallas. "He seemed really happy about it."
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Reggie, of course, would be Reggie McKenzie, whom Davis just fired as general manager. So, if Davis doesn’t regret the trades, why fire the GM who supposedly did them?
Davis’ comments also are a telling juxtaposition to an earlier report by The Athletic’s Vic Tafur, who said McKenzie opposed the Mack trade. Tafur also reported that Davis and coach Jon Gruden didn’t believe McKenzie pulled enough of a return from the Bears in that deal, and it was one reason for the GM's dismissal.
Gruden reportedly has final say in all personnel matters, but it’s clear McKenzie paid the price for the Mack and Cooper trades. The bad news for Oakland is both players have sparked their new teams to better-than-expected records, dropping the position of the first-round picks the Raiders acquired.
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"Of course you watch it and everything, but you don't have any control over what the other team is doing unless you play them," Davis told Rapoport. "We're not playing the Bears, and we're not playing the Cowboys."
If the season ended today, the Raiders would own the third, 23rd and 26th picks in the 2019 NFL Draft. And while any team would like to have three first-round picks at its disposal, Oakland must make the right selections.
If not, the next Raiders executive under Davis and Gruden might find himself facing the same fate as McKenzie.