Raiders: Jon Gruden quote from 2019 looks really, really bad now

The Raiders might have been right not to pay Khalil Mack, but Jon Gruden’s quote about teh follow-up moves from 2019 looks very, very bad now.

Just before the start of the 2018 season, in lieu of giving Khalil Mack the big contract he was looking for, the Raiders traded him to the Chicago Bears for a return highlighted by two first-round picks. As head coach Jon Gruden started to lead a rebuild, those extra assets were valuable.

The Bears quickly gave Mack a six-year, $141 million contract. In the 2019 offseason, the Raiders allocated the money that would have otherwise gone to Mack toward multiple free agent signings and a major trade. One of those significant signings was offensive tackle Trent Brown, who will now be traded to the New England Patriots. Another, wide receiver Tyrell Williams, was released late last month and has signed with the Detroit Lions. A third, defensive back Lamarcus Joyner, was released on Monday.

Jon Gruden’s quote about Raiders post-Mack moves looks very bad now

Here’s what Gruden said after the Raiders 2019 run in free agency.

Antonio Brown of course never played a game for the Raiders after they acquired him from the Steelers, as increasing distractions through training camp led to them letting him go. Trent Brown played 16 games in two seasons, though COVID-19 was the primary factor in his missing 11 games last season. Burfict played four games in 2019 before being suspended (again), and Joyner seems to have been miscast in the Raiders’ defensive scheme. A shoulder injury cost Williams all of the 2020 season, and he battled foot issues in 2019.

Less than two years later, Brown, Brown, Joyner, Williams and Burfict are gone. Here’s what the Raiders got from each.

Antonio Brown: Zero games, zero catches
Trent Brown: a 70.4 Pro Football Focus Grade over two seasons (44th at his position)
Lamarcus Joyner: Zero interceptions; eight pass breakups (28 games)
Vontaze Burfict: Four games; 18 total tackles
Tyrell Williams: 42 catches for 651 yards and six touchdowns

Gruden has enviable job security, three seasons into a reported 10-year contract, and there’s no doubt he’s running the show for the Raiders. How long he’ll avoid full accountability is an interesting question, if nothing else, with the answer being as long as owner Mark Davis remains enamored with him in lieu of wins and losses.