Mike Florio

Usually when you see a high-profile player like that get traded, he walks through the door with an expectation that there's going to be some sort of a sweetener.

So it isn't enough to just say, wow, the contract's really favorable.

We're not paying him $47 million a year like the Packers are paying Michael Parsons.

You're probably going to have to give him some money up front.

You're probably going to have to give him a raise relative to the market.

But even then...

The guy is incredible.

He works harder than anyone.

He's got a will to win.

He's told us stories at the Super Bowl how other players on the team will say, I want to be like you.

How can I be like you?

And he'll say, all right, show up at the gym tomorrow at 5 a.m.

And they come for a day or two and then they stop.

So he makes that commitment to be great.

And when you have a guy like that in the locker room, ideally with guys who are going to be influenced by that, it's going to make your team even better.

Mack wanted nothing to do with John Gruden.

That was well documented.

And as that season unfolded and the Raiders thought maybe they could prevail upon Khalil Mack to stick around.

He was in his fifth year option at the time.

He held out, held out, held out.