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The Chicago Bears have acquired the star pass rusher Khalil Mack from the Raiders in a blockbuster trade that sends two first-round draft picks to Oakland.
Mack held out for the entire off-season and preseason, seeking a new, long-term contract rather than play under the final year of his rookie deal. Raiders Coach Jon Gruden, in his biggest move since returning to the sideline from the broadcast booth, accommodated the 27-year-old Mack on Saturday.
Oakland reportedly will receive first-round selections in 2019 and 2020, a sixth-rounder next year and a third-rounder in 2020. Oakland also included its second-round selection in 2020.
Mack agreed to a six-year, $141 million extension with the Bears, according to multiple media reports. The deal averages $23.5 million per season, includes $90 million in guaranteed money and a $60 million signing bonus.
The fifth overall selection in the 2014 draft, Mack is a two-time All-Pro and the 2016 Defensive Player of the Year. Mack has played in every game for Oakland the past four seasons, with 231 primary tackles, 40½ sacks, and nine forced fumbles.
Since entering the league, Mack leads all players with 185½ quarterback pressures and ranks second with 68 tackles for a loss, according to SportRadar. He is one of the most versatile defenders in the N.F.L. and joins a Bears team lacking in star power.
The Mack trade occurred on the same day that N.F.L. teams made their final personnel cuts to reduce their active rosters to 53 players. Robert Griffin III, the 2012 Offensive Rookie of the Year whose career has been disrupted by injuries since that season, remained with Baltimore. He’ll likely be the third-string quarterback behind Joe Flacco and the first-round draft pick Lamar Jackson.
A. J. McCarron, who signed with Buffalo as a free agent after four years as a backup quarterback in Cincinnati, was traded by the Bills to Oakland.
Among the intriguing players let go were Dallas kicker Dan Bailey, Chiefs cornerback David Amerson, Ravens receiver Breshad Perriman, Bengals defensive end Michael Johnson, Texans receiver Braxton Miller and guard Davis Quessenberry, and Steelers quarterback Landry Jones.
QUARTERBACKS Griffin signed a one-year deal with the Ravens in April after sitting out the 2017 season. He was Washington’s first-round choice in 2012, second overall, and led the Redskins to the playoffs that year before things went sour.
“There’s no doubt that you want Robert Griffin on your team,” Coach John Harbaugh said after the final preseason game. “He makes our quarterback room better and stronger. He’s a very good quarterback. He looks like a starter to me.”
In Pittsburgh, Josh Dobbs’s impressive preseason cost Jones his job. The Steelers kept Dobbs and the rookie Mason Rudolph as the primary backups to Ben Roethlisberger. Dobbs made significant strides in his second training camp and ended the preseason by throwing for a touchdown and running for another in a victory over Carolina. Jones had been 3-2 as a starter in five pro seasons, with eight touchdowns and seven interceptions.
FAILED DRAFT PICKS The Ravens parted with Perriman, the team’s first-round pick in 2015. He managed just 43 catches for 576 yards and three touchdowns over 27 career games. It marked the first time in franchise history the Ravens cut a first-round pick before the end of his rookie contract.
The Bills chose not to hold onto receiver Corey Coleman, who has been a disappointment since the Browns made him the 15th overall selection two years ago. Buffalo traded a seventh-round pick in 2020 for him.
RELEASED VETERANS Brian Robison and Terence Newman were released by Minnesota.
Robison was about to begin his 12th season with the team. Newman, the oldest defensive player in the N.F.L., will retire and immediately join the coaching staff — three days before his 40th birthday.
Robison, who’s tied for ninth in Vikings history with 60 career sacks, was the longest-tenured player on the team. Drafted in the fourth round in 2007, he spent six of his 11 years with the Vikings as a full-time starter.
The Bengals released Johnson, a 10th-year defensive end, although it could be a temporary separation. Johnson becomes a free agent and could re-sign with Cincinnati for less money.
The Chiefs released Amerson, an underperforming cornerback who signed a $2.25 million free-agent deal this past off-season.
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