Khalil Mack and Derek Carr were just 25 and in the third year of their careers when they made the playoffs with the Oakland Raiders. The team’s 12 wins were the most in 16 years and their first playoff trip in 14.
Unfortunately, success for the Raiders has been hard to come by since 2016. The wins have disappeared. as has Mack as the Raiders opted to blow things up during the 2018 offseason, trading him to the Chicago Bears.
As he is a quarter way through his second season with the Bears and is getting ready to face his former team for the first time in London in Week 5, Mack has had time to reflect on his years with Carr and the Raiders.
Although they never played on the same side of the ball, Mack is very appreciative of his relationship with Carr, via Vic Tarfur of The Athletic:
Chicago reporters today asked @FiftyDeuce what he appreciated the most about @derekcarrqb:
“Off-the-field, man. Spending all that time … when we were there we were trying to change the culture, just going through that process together, it was real special.”— Vic Tafur (@VicTafur) October 1, 2019
With Mack no longer wearing the Silver and Black, the culture certainly has changed. Jon Gruden has come in and re-established his imprint on the team. Additionally, general manager Mike Mayock took over for Reggie McKenzie, adding to the culture change in Oakland.
McKenzie initially started the rebuild period by shipping off Mack to the Bears for a number of draft picks last summer after he was holding out for a new contract. The process was further exasperated once star receiver Amari Cooper was traded to the Dallas Cowboys.
Since his departure from Oakland, Mack has found success in Chicago. As for the Raiders, their defense has been less than great. Last year the Bears had the best defense in the league while the Raiders had the worst. Certainly, both stats could be attributed to the presence, or lack thereof, of Mack.
Carr has continued his streak of excellence for the Raiders with or without Mack. The Raiders have had moderate success behind Carr in 2019, most recently beating the Indianapolis Colts 31-24. Carr will hopefully be able to provide another win over Mack and the Bears this upcoming Sunday, although it will be up to the Raiders offensive line to protect him.
