The Green Bay Packers used to be the hot destination for whenever they wanted to sign players or trade for them. However, it seems that magic touch has eluded them in recent years. In 2018, the Chicago Bears repeatedly slammed the door in their face when they tried to secure free agents Vic Fangio and Kyle Fuller. This would explain why they seemed so gleeful when they secured Adrian Amos this offseason.
Yet it’s small consolation for the big fish they missed out on. Look back on Packer history and their championship fortunes have often turned upon the acquisition of a standout pass rusher. It was the case in the 1990s when they signed Reggie White and became the case again when they drafted Clay Matthews in 2009. There is no doubt they were hoping to reach down into that honey hole again by making a trade for Khalil Mack.
Team president Mark Murphy seems to still have not gotten over the fact his team failed to make that move despite apparently making a strong offer to Oakland during the sweepstakes. He said as much to 105.7 The FAN’s Gary Ellerson
“Well the whole Khalil Mack thing. It’s not that we didn’t try. We were aggressive. We wanted to sign him. I think, ironically, the Raiders took the Bears offer because they thought they would be a better draft pick.”
Green Bay Packers suffered an incredible case of irony
What’s amazing is the Packers were far better equipped to make a deal work. They had two 1st round picks in the 2018 draft alone. While Murphy may have said they were aggressive, it feels likely they tried to avoid offering both in the deal. In the end, they were ironically done in by the fact they’d had so much success in previous years.
Subscribe to the BFR podcast and ride shotgun with Dave and Ficky as they break down Bears football like nobody else.
He tried to console himself by stating he was likely fortunate in the long run given how massive a new contract Mack got from the Bears.
“I don’t know if it is good to have the highest-paid offensive player in the league, and the highest-paid defensive player in the league. Is that a good way to build a team?”
It would’ve been a challenge for sure, but one thing is also for certain. It’s a lot easier to win football games when you have two of the top 5 football players on the planet on your roster. They ended up signing Za’Darius Smith and Preston Smith to solve their pass rush issues instead. Coincidentally, the two combined for 12.5 sacks last season. The same number Mack had for the Bears. He had 3.5 against Green Bay including 2.5 in the game that helped lock up the division title.
So yeah. Maybe the price would’ve been worth it.
